Love for TV ads led to a global career

For three decades, JC Catibog has successfully navigated the world of advertising by finding the right balance between art and science with creativity and measurable success metrics. Now at the helm of Dentsu Philippines, he is driving their steady wins by executing ideas-led, data-driven and tech-enabled consumer campaigns.

Career days in high school for Gen X meant hearing repeated aspirations: from becoming doctors to lawyers to architects to running own businesses. But even as a teenager, JC Catibog already knew those roads were not for him. He set his sights elsewhere, on advertising, and planned his academic and career life with a laser focus that brought him the global industry recognition he enjoys today.

His first job was in advertising and for the last three decades, he never left the industry. Not to say that he stayed in one place – he has worked across Asia and in North America with advertising giants that gave him the chance to work with a wide range of products and services, with both dominant and emerging brands.

So 32 years, five countries and many brands later, here is JC’s advertising career success story.

Why advertising, and what made you stick with it until today?

I remember taking note of TV commercials growing up, and chatting with friends about them regardless of their interest. In the 80s, relatives from abroad would send us recorded TV programs, and I would look out for the ads. Looking back, I loved ads that were impeccably crafted and with a surprising amusing, aspirational, memorable story.

When applying for university, I researched courses that would lead me to a career in advertising. I took up Mass Communication, and all my electives were Advertising courses. I learned about the science behind advertising and the power it had in shaping, not only attitudes, but also behaviors of people.

I wanted to be a copywriter, but fate led me to account management. My first ever brand assignment was Ivory soap. I was thrilled to be assigned a category I could very easily relate to.

There were offers to move to other adjacent industries, but I love what I do, I love the creative minds I work with day in and day out, and I love clients I get to partner with – who believe in the power of creativity in transforming brands’ business, image and future.

You’ve worked with three of the biggest global names in advertising – can you share how they are different, and how they are also the same?

Advertising has evolved so much over the years, so it’s tough comparing my experience working with Saatchi & Saatchi, BBDO and now, Dentsu. What’s true for all would be the belief in compelling stories, understanding of our consumers, and close partnership with our clients. But given the strategic position we have between brands/products and consumers, agencies have such an important role in being agents of change for our future, and that is what I believe sets Dentsu apart.

At Dentsu, we want to be at the forefront of people-centered transformations, where we collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders to achieve a future in which society, companies, and consumers can all thrive together. We endeavor to be an enabler of innovative growth solutions that creates positive economic and social value.

Dentsu is one of the few top network agencies whose provenance is Asia (Japan, specifically). Innovation is part of Japan’s and Dentsu’s DNA. At Dentsu, we are always exploring new ways to reach, engage and nurture relationships with our clients’ target audiences, to produce new ways of working and generating growth through the power of technology and, of course, creativity.

Your career also spans several countries with a stint in North America. Can you share how consumers are different in each market, and how are they also the same?

I was fortunate to be given the chance to work in developing and developed markets in my career. And I was witness to China’s meteoric rise to the economic superpower that it is today. I had two stints living and working in Guangzhou, China: first in the late 90s, when China was learning from the world and finding its own voice; and again in 2007, when China’s confidence has grown behind its steady rise in terms of economy, innovation and global influence. It was truly a fascinating learning experience – to see a giant awaken, so to speak.

The US, of course, is a highly developed market. Work is very sophisticated, and we had a lot of tools and research at our disposal. Also, the people I worked with had rich experience working on many different categories – all of which they use to enrich the work that we do.

From a consumer perspective, this might be a simplistic answer, I feel that different nationalities may have varying wants, but they share common needs. People around the world may have different brand preferences, they may have different reasons for buying and using certain brands, but the need for confidence, security, love and respect are universal.

As CEO of Dentsu Philippines, you mentioned that you are working to sustain your reputation as “ideas-led, data-driven and tech-enabled.” Can you explain how you operationalize this for a client?

We work with the spirit of collaboration in mind, where our clients have access to our team of specialists as and when needed. For example, our media clients can tap into our social command center, D+Gility, for community management and social listening, or CoLab, our end-to-end influencer management team. Similarly, our creative agency, Dentsu Creative, is augmented by our technology division, DigitX, for web, app and tech development, as well as qualitative and quantitative insights from our vibrant Data and Connections team.

All these core and specialized services are powered by best-in-class solutions that are globally aligned but locally deployed. The Consumer Connections System (CCS) is the world’s largest global audience panel and planning platform, which is our ground source data truth that is available to all our employees. CCS, together with other marketing and ad tech tools, allows Dentsu to plan for a large portfolio of brands and complex audiences for one of our clients, one of the country’s largest Filipino-owner global snack and beverage manufacturer, to deliver budget efficiency and media effectivity that bolstered their growth year on year.

What advice would you give for the millennials or Gen Y that are working in the advertising agency?

Same advice I would give anyone including Gen Z: find a job you love and you’re passionate about – one where you will feel fulfilled, you can add value, and where you can be your most authentic self.

We have long hours in advertising, meeting lots of tough deadlines and business targets, need to deal with different personalities. But for me, I continue to love working in advertising because I am surrounded by creative, vibrant, talented, passionate individuals who believe in the power of creativity, innovation and big ideas. It is also a joy partnering with clients who believe in the power of ideas and advertising to positively transform the image and businesses of brands.

Once you’ve decided that advertising is for you, here are three things to remember:

• Always be curious – read about what’s happening in the world around you. Constantly strive to know and learn more. Know what people are talking about: what’s hot and what’s not, and more importantly, why.

• Challenge yourself in finding new ways to solve problems. Don’t settle for easy solutions. Be creative, be original, let your imagination go wild. Piece together knowledge and insights so that you may come up with several original solutions to the same problem.

• Be humble – learn as much as you can, be open to new ideas. Be inspired by other people – recognize that there are a lot of things you don’t know that you don’t know.