MANILA, Philippines - Remember those well-loved San Miguel Pale Pilsen TV commercials that combined comedy with time-tested Filipino values such as pakikisama, pagkakaibigan and pagka-masayahin?
Nostalgia fans and beer-lovers are sure to recall legendary comic Bert “Tawa” Marcelo’s classic San Miguel ads. Infusing good-natured humor and Pinoy values into everyday situations, his serialized TVCs were eagerly anticipated by audiences young and old.
Isang Platitong Mani is perhaps the most unforgettable. Featuring a star-studded cast that included boxing great Gabriel “Flash” Elorde, Rico J. Puno, billiards champion Amang Parica and legendary jockey Eduardo Domingo, the ad showed how people of different backgrounds found common ground in Isang Platitong Mani and San Miguel Pale Pilsen.
Well, the venerable beer brand is reportedly set to launch a new, major advertising campaign that promotes trademark Filipino values associated with the brand, and harks back to the days when its ads first became so popular that they stuck in our minds long after they last aired.
Rekindling the brand’s Iba ang may Pinagsamahan campaign, the ad is said to feature a never-before-seen, all-star ensemble of celebrity heavyweights.
As opening salvo, the brand recently made classic Bert Marcelo commercials available on its websites (www.sanmiguelpalepilsen.com.ph, www.sanmiguelbeer.com.ph, www.sanmiguelbrewery.com.ph).
These include Boss, where the comedian storms into his boss’ office to ask for a raise but is reduced to good-naturedly saying, “Boss, mag-beer muna tayo”; Bruno where his efforts to collect a debt from a muscle-bound tenant also end up in a friendly round of beers, and the aforementioned classic Isang Platitong Mani.
Could this mean the new TVC will be a re-imagining of sorts of one or several of these classic ads? Will past or present talents like the APO Hiking Society, Ina Raymundo, Rachel Lobangco, Kris Aquino, Dominic Ochoa, Efren “Bata” Reyes, Derek Ramsay, Jet Li, Erik Morales and Manny Pacquiao be in the new ad? And who will be fielded as its next Bert Marcelo in the career-defining role of San Miguel ambassador? We will find out soon.