Asiong Aksaya and other classic ad campaigns

Who doesn’t remember Asiong Aksaya, the funny-looking cartoon character who personified wastefulness? The name "Asiong Aksaya" was instantly assimilated into our lexicon. And the whole nation took the name amusedly as a pejorative. Asiong became a famous comic strip by the late Larry Alcala. A movie vehicle of the late Chiquito. Asiong Aksaya is a "classic ad campaign" remembered up to now. And the real brains and author-creator of Asiong Aksaya? Tony "The Zorro" Zorilla.

Our local ad industry is reported to be conducting a search for classics in Filipino ads of the past 25 years. It is hoped that the "search committee" does not overlook Asiong Aksaya. Especially for the effectiveness of the ad campaign in attracting adherents to the Energy Conservation campaign built around the "Asiong" advertising to address our very first energy crisis in the mid-seventies.

Tony "Zorro" Zorilla, now with the nation’s leading perceptions management firm of ZPA/PR Consulting, is also famous for being the first Filipino adman to realize that "copy writing" was and is the "raison d’ etre" behind the success of the world’s leading ad agencies. Zorro revolutionized and changed the Filipino businessmen’s poor appreciation for the copywriter away from the ad agencies glamorized salesman, the account executive.

Jolly Ring-O, another unforgettable print & radio ad campaign created by Zorro successfully humanized the much "hated" utility firm, PLDT, enabling the phone company to gain time and new resources to improve its technology and expand market demand using the money of new phone subscribers’ through the PLDT scheme called "Subscribers Investment Plan".

Few of our so-called advertising cognoscentis realize that Zorro was the 1st Filipino adman ever to seet up formal copy writing tutorials, staffed with "imported talents", e.g. Denise McNamara and Constance "Connie" Reid of New York’s Madison Avenue. The latter subsequently became chief of communications for New York undefeated Mayor Jim Lindsey.

"Sandal sa Pader" likewise created by Zorro, persuaded well-known movie-news-political personalities to pose as if precariously falling backwards, but smiling confidently… to convey the PNB message of Stability, Liquidity, Safety. Sandal sa Pader is credited for attracting P2 billion worth of new demand deposits for the government-owned bank! And for enhancing the stature of PNB president Panfilo Domingo in the late Ferdinand Marcos’ famous little black book.

The Zorro was also the 1st Filipino ad agency chief to invest in recruitment of young college graduates for positions of copy writers, instead of account management. Above all, he was the first to recognize, draw out and sharpen the ad-creation skills of many top contemporary copywriters – like "Minyong" Ordoñez of Basic Ads, Greg Garcia of Hemisphere-Leo Burnett, Vince Pozon of Adformatix, Abby Tan-Jimenez of Jimenez/DMB&B, "Nonoy" Gallardo of Gallardo & Associates, the late Tony Mercado of Publicis, "Telly" Bernardo of Bernardo Associates, Singapore-based Julie Lingan, Bert Labog of Tokyo, commercial jingle composer Berg Villapando, et al.

"Go ahead, Use Your Coconut" – Another Zorilla creation, instantly raised national awareness of coconut oil superiority over imported and pollutant "hard alkyl benzene" in laundry soaps and detergents helping to promote the nation’s multi-billion peso coconut industry.

"Goodah Soups!" – Alias "Ladies Choice" Chinese Soup is another Zorro undertaking. Intended to be a mere throwaway line, "Goodah" went on to sell nearly a billion pesos worth of instant soups and inspired more than 100 independent soup shops to call themselves "Goodah Soups Kitchen".

That Zorilla had created a plethora of classics is bolstered by these samples of his creative excellence – all ideal case studies of why some ads produced billions of pesos worth of sales for their sponsors.

7 Giants of Ysmael – Put Ysmael Steel Corporation in the public’s eye as preferred industrial partner of 7 international giants, Admiral Appliances, Fiat, Daimler Benz, Zanuzzi Gas Ranges, Electrolux Kitchen Appliances, etc.

"Hear how great they taste" – Created for John Gokongwei’s Jack & Jill Snacks, the slogan’s been credited for producing billions of pesos of profits for "Mr. John" and for helping fuel the spectacular expansion of Robina Foods and the entire Gokongwei empire.

Asia’s 1st Airline – leveraged a cold piece of corporate data to claim PAL’s superiority vs JAL, SIA, Garuda, and all other Asian carriers. PAL continues to use the ad line until now.

PALsMILES Club – Introduced the RP national flag carrier’s version of a Frequent Flyer rewards program, hailed by major carriers as comparable to the offers by foreign airlines… and used until now!

PALakbayan Tours – Produced whopping incremental revenue seat miles for the domestic service operations. Introduced concept of domestic air flights for local leisure market. Continues to be a vital revenue source for the PAL today.

Jumbolilit Flights To America – Helped the nation’s flag carrier post the world record of over-booked inaugural flight (747-200 from Manila to San Francisco)!

Room enough for 5 Sumo Wrestlers, The Lancer – Gave the Mitsubishi Motors "bantam" model (Lancer) reputation for being engineered strong, sturdy and roomiest interior of its class. Lancer became overnight leader… continues segment leadership to date.

PCIB MoneyShops – Compelled 5:6 operators victimizing public market stallholders to top operations and got Central Bank to rewrite rule on "off-premises" banking service.

The BF "CRM’s" – "She’ll do anything except perhaps accept a date" was the ageless line written by Zorro about Banco Filipino’s customer relations models. Now the whole world of banking has embraced the concept of "CRM" and the terminology CRM made world famous by the ad campaign.

"Haplos ng Vicks Haplos ng Iyong Pagmamahal." – Written for Vicks Vaporub, this ad slogan continues to produce significant revenue for the Philippine’s best known cold rub remedy.

J&J for Grownups – The power of Zorro’s idea prompted the CEO of J&J in New Jersey to

"Who Want to be Babied" – instruct his company’s worldwide marketing staff to immediately adopt the adline concept of targeting Johnson & Johnson baby products to the adult segment of the world market. The Zorro ad campaign ideas has been acknowledged by J&J US executives to have revolutionized the company.

Lately, Tony Zorilla’s been spending most of his time thinking up of novel ways to enhance the public’s perception of the reputations of some companies he’s agreed to take on since he shifted to public relations work.