What’s in a name? A lot, it seems. Take Creative Juice for instance. The Philippines has two companies of the same name, both offering advertising services.
There’s Creative JuiceManila, which opened its doors in 2006. It was the first international office of the creative hotshop Creative JuiceG1, which had established a killer creative reputation from its base in Bangkok. Like Tequila, Creative JuiceG1 is part of the much-bigger TBWA network.
While it has yet to match its mother company’s profile in the industry, the agency’s client roster includes Wrangler, Oishi and Splash Corporation. It is currently led by Managing Director Gigi Tibi.
Then there’s Creative Juice Communications Inc., also in Metro Manila. Active since 2001, Janice Crisostomo Villanueva started it as a single proprietorship and in June 2005 registered as a corporation under the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The company was also registered under the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Intellectual Property Office (IPO).
Its clients include Terry S.A./Havaianas, GlaxoSmithKline, and Rockwell Land Corporation.
Both companies are registered with the SEC. Despite the SEC’s stringent guidelines on company application and registration, no one in the commission noticed that not only did these firms share identical names, they also operated in the same industry.
In 2006, adobo magazine ran an article on Creative Juice/Manila. It was then that Crisostomo-Villanueva discovered the existence of Creative Juice/Manila, and notified the SEC.
Creative Juice Communications registered with the SEC in June 2005; Creative Juice/Manila, in January 2006—just months apart. But what a difference a few months would make.
“ ‘Juice’ is really my name. I have been using the name ‘Creative Juice’ as a trade name since it was a single proprietorship,” Crisostomo-Villanueva revealed.
“I was surprised that the SEC allowed the name when they are so strict about (corporate names),” she added.
Last week, the SEC decided in favor of Creative Juice Communications on the use of the corporate name. Having ruled so, the SEC will require Creative Juice/Manila to change its name.
Creative Juice/Manila, however, has ten days to reply to the SEC.
“ ‘Creative Juice’ is a brand of our global network and first used internationally since 2002. Thus, we are appealing the SEC decision,” said Tibi.
adobo magazine. The Word on Advertising.
