Today I need something more sub-sub-sub-substantial/
A can of beans or black-eyed peas, some Nescafé and ice/
A candy bar, a falling star or a reading of Doctor Seuss..."
The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight by REM
Why the hell was Spiderman sipping coffee in a mall along with two guys wearing skinny neckties? Was there a slipstream in the universe or a glitch in the time/space continuum, and a comic-book hero, along with guys from The Knack, or The Kinks, suddenly found themselves in a Makati mall drinking funky-flavored coffee concoctions – Nescafé to be exact? Well, it turned out that "Spidey" (the alter-ego of Dan Ramon Geromo, a student from UP) and the sleekly dressed dudes (John Paul Cuison and John Paul Sta. Maria) were in Glorietta to receive the grand prize for winning the Nescafé ad-making contest called, fittingly enough, "Ad Lib (Ad mo... Libre ko)."
Well, the mission, which college students all over the metropolis chose to accept, was to create the most original and the most creative idea to describe new Nescafé products Caramel Mocha and Mocha Java. And only the brashest, boldest and brightest coffee print ad would do.
According to Nescafé’s Lester Tay and Kristine Tesoro, the thrust of the whole enterprise was to "give control of the advertising drawing board to target consumers (in case of these new Nescafe brews – the youth) and let them create the ads themselves." This practically gives weight to Nescafe’s Ibahin mo ‘to tagline.
The philosophy behind this contest was simple: caffeine and student life are inextricably linked, just like Sid and Nancy, Kurt and Courtney, Ren and Stimpy, Spider-man and ultra-tight red-and-blue leotards. Coffee (with endless variations these days that are really astounding) has become the fuel of young, free-spirited individuals as they navigate the magical mystery tour called life, or something like it (mainly for activities such as studying, reading, surfing the Web, hanging out, chilling out, occupying space in a café, talking about the relative merits of Thom Yorke, Thomas Mann, Tom Robbins and Tom Wolfe). Since the new Nescafé variants go so well with youthful endeavors, and since these products were designed and are marketed for those young and springy coffee-junkies, it was but fitting that the youth get a hand in introducing these new flavors from Nescafé.
It was a case of the target market getting to do the targeting.
One thousand five hundred college students responded. Five hundred thirteen entries were submitted. But as Duncan McCloud’s Law presupposes: In the end, there could be only one. The winning entry was put together by three Fine Arts students from UP – yes, one in a Spider-man costume and two in Teddy boy threads. It earned for Geromo, Cuison and Sta. Maria P100,000 in cash and an all-expense paid trip to the Ad Congress in Baguio, perhaps to give them a glimpse of their future in the heady world of advertising.
The trio came up with a very arresting entry, which knocked out the judges from the advertising and marketing industry. Two pictures are juxtaposed. One depicts a radioactive mushroom cloud looming ominously over beach, unmistakably in Hiroshima. The other, the same photo, is sketched over and transformed: the mushroom cloud becomes a tree (back-dropped by mountains and a rising sun), sheltering a couple drinking coffee (fore-grounded by flowers and a peculiarly happy cat). This demonstrates the cosmically relaxing effects of coffee, or something to that effect - very creative at that. But the three UP Diliman boys are quick to downplay their achievement.
"Tulungan kami rito – hati-hati sa trabaho," shared Cuison. Each of the three has a hand in writing the copy, doing the graphics as well providing the art direction. "And it was fun to do," said Sta. Maria, who revealed that they submitted a number of entries, which took them two weeks to finish. The winning piece took up just a matter of hours, though.
Spider-man just nodded, and murmured something through his mask.
The three, interestingly enough, are part of a UP-based alternative rock band called Kiko Machine. Cuison plays guitar, Sta. Maria and Spidey share bass chores, with the Web-Slinger sometimes taking on the role of singer. (Somebody told me he’s the guy in a Cheese video.)
So, it’s not at all surprising that the guys could work in harmony. Those who have been in a band one time in their lives know how hard it is to get along with people whose temperaments vary from Beavis’ to Manoling Morato’s.
"Regarding influences sa band, iba-iba kasi eh," enthused Cuison, "pero nagkakasundo kami sa Eraserheads, Foo Fighters at sa Tito, Vic & Joey."
He plans on buying a new guitar with his Nescafé money. The friendly neighbor/superhero will shell out his dough for a digicam. And Sta. Maria is hell-bent on purchasing a DVD player. (Those were their plans for their prize money, or did I get their answers mixed up?)
After graduation, Geromo will venture into cinema, while Cuison and Sta. Maria are planning on dabbling into the twin worlds of music and advertising. If you ask the guys which do they prefer – playing in rock ‘n’ roll band, or coming up with advertising campaigns for companies like Nescafé – they’ll say...
No comparison. Cuison amplified, "They are like apples and oranges."
Or the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, or Tom Robbins and Kurt Vonnegut, or A Clockwork Orange or Pulp Fiction, or Nescafé Caramel and Nescafe Mocha Java – all different things offering the same good kick to the spirit.