The Lotus Blooms by Ryan Rubillar

The Lotus Blooms by Ryan Rubillar
IN PRINT, NEWS, ADFEST 2007

A month has passed since we first set foot in Pattaya, to represent Manila at the Young Lotus at Adfest. Yet memories of the competition are still fresh and vivid, and in living color.
We lost. To Japan! Oh and yes, to China.
But we bested everyone else.
Back then, the pressure to win never bothered us (or at least we tried not to be). We just wanted to do something that would make us and our agency proud.
“See that. We did that in only two days, using this cool Nokia N93i.” Something to that effect.
But it looks like the Muse was on our side. The jury shortlisted us into the finals. When they showed our work on the gala night, along with Japan’s and China’s, in front of two thousand delegates (only the movers and shakers of the industry in the whole Asia Pacific region!) I couldn’t be more ecstatic... or anxious.
Then people began congratulating us. The thought that we did a good job finally sank in. Yes, all our hard work paid off! How we love this industry for giving young talent a chance for glory!
Of course, right then and there, we knew who won—we just wanted to hear it straight from the horse’s mouth. Leaks do happen before awards show, no thanks to the power of alcohol.
Going through task of producing a 60-second TV commercial—in 48 hours with nothing more than a video phone—was an ordeal, as daunting as it was draining. Factor in the language barrier between us, the Thais and the Europeans, along with a TV camera crew that followed us wherever we went. (By the way, the whole competition was supposed to be a reality show where the whole creative process is documented from conception down to production.)
The brief was to sell Pattaya. The objective was to erase the negative perception of the place as a sex tour destination, by communicating: “You can do good things in Pattaya.”
Our solution: project Pattaya as a place for the family. How? By depicting a tourist in a series of 15s doing things all by himself such as playing football on the beach with himself; painstakingly carrying a dozen of shopping bags by himself; or as simple as taking a picture, alone. Then we flash the copy: “If only you brought them along.”
In a flash of inspiration, the Beach Boys’ “Wouldn’t It Be Nice?” popped into our heads. The lyrics were perfect. In stark contrast to the video of the lonely tourist, the song is cheery. Enough to make anyone hum along.
Now, competition aside, I say it was one of the most wonderful experiences we ever had, and which we will never have again. The viral video of BBDO for the Young Lotus says it best, “...that will change their lives forever.”
It was an amazing learning experience indeed. Young people, from different nations, bonding, comparing cultural differences, discovering commonalities, sampling the Thai massage together, talking about Manny Pacquaio, sharing the same youthful passion for good advertising and most importantly, erasing misconceptions about each other by replacing them with great memories.
Yes, my fellow Asian creatives, the lotus blooms, even in Manila.


Ryan Rubillar is a copywriter at TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno and was one of
Manila’s Young Lotus representatives at AdFest 2007.