THE VETIVER PROJECT

TitleTHE VETIVER PROJECT
BrandPEERLESS LION
Product / ServiceSHOKUBUTSU HANA PERSONAL CARE
CategoryD01. Brand Environments
EntrantTBWA\SANTIAGO MANGADA PUNO Makati City, THE PHILIPPINES
Entrant Company TBWA\SANTIAGO MANGADA PUNO Makati City, THE PHILIPPINES
Advertising Agency TBWA\SANTIAGO MANGADA PUNO Makati City, THE PHILIPPINES

Credits

Name Company Position
Melvin M. Mangada TBWA/SANTIAGO MANGADA PUNO Chief Creative Officer
Ali Silao TBWA/SANTIAGO MANGADA PUNO CREATIVE DIRECTOR/ART DIRECTOR
Chino Jayme TBWA/SANTIAGO MANGADA PUNO Associate Creative Director/Copywriter
Nolan Fabular TBWA/SANTIAGO MANGADA PUNO Associate Creative Director/Art Director
Cj De Silva TBWA/SANTIAGO MANGADA PUNO Art Director
Kathy Cosico TBWA/SANTIAGO MANGADA PUNO Account Director
Rj Paculan TBWA/SANTIAGO MANGADA PUNO Planner
Dennis Carlos TBWA/SANTIAGO MANGADA PUNO Print Prod.
Abi Ramos TBWA/SANTIAGO MANGADA PUNO Jr. Print Producer
Emilie Batard TBWA/SANTIAGO MANGADA PUNO Director
Francis Allan De Dios TBWA/SANTIAGO MANGADA PUNO Editor/Animator
Teresa Composana free lancer Production Designer
John Chua Ad Photo Photographer
Maan Dela Cruz TBWA/SANTIAGO MANGADA PUNO Agency Producer
Francis Bagnes TBWA/SANTIAGO MANGADA PUNO Agency Producer
Sunny Lucero TBWA/SANTIAGO MANGADA PUNO Agency Producer

Brief Explanation

To stay true to the brand's belief, clients wanted ads that were about nature. To be more powerful, it had to set an example to the people. Instead of using traditional media, the ad was placed in the one place that would really make an impact – Pasig River--Manila's main waterway that was transformed into a 25-kilometer sewer system. For decades it was abused by residents around it as tons of garbage were thrown in. In 1990, ecologists considered it biologically dead. HANA wanted to do its part by joining the movement to revive it.

The Brief

Shokubutsu HANA is a personal care brand that manufactures products made from 100% natural cleansing ingredients. It believes in the restorative powers of nature and its importance in our daily lives. A recent entrant in the Philippine market, it is sold as products that celebrate natural beauty.

Results

As the government removed the solid waste, the billboards continued to purify the water, giving hope and life back to the residents of the riverside. People along the river were inspired to help keep the river clean and thought twice before throwing garbage along the stream. Environmental sites and organizations that picked up the campaign praised it and helped spread the message online with articles. Soon, all kinds of other sites began reposting. Then, the general youth began sharing, sending the billboards all over social media, eventually reaching the national news. From local primetime news alone, the campaign earned roughly USD 28,000 of free media mileage on the first billboard alone. Globally, both the creative and environment-related publications featured the effort (AdAge Editor’s Pick of the Day, Yahoo News, Sustainable Brands, Campaign Brief Asia and Fast Co.Create to name a few), and from it, the brand received roughly 13M impressions. The brand earned a seat in last year’s annual Sustainable Brands Conference in London amongst 400 advanced executives in corporate sustainability, marketing, brand strategy and product innovation. It was a testament to how this small effort to save the Pasig River has inspired many the world over.

How the final design was conceived

HANA mounted the first Water-Cleaning Billboards, made of vetiver, grass that absorbs water pollutants. More than a message, they were actually cleaning the river itself. The billboards were cleaning the river while sending a message to the people to stop throwing waste inside. After the success of the first billboard, two more were constructed and placed on the river.

Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market

As the government removed the solid waste, the billboards continued to purify the water, giving hope and life back to the residents of the riverside. People along the river were inspired to help keep the river clean and thought twice before throwing garbage along the stream. Environmental sites and organizations that picked up the campaign praised it and helped spread the message online with articles. Soon, all kinds of other sites began reposting. Then, the general youth began sharing, sending the billboards all over social media, eventually reaching the national news. From local primetime news alone, the campaign earned roughly USD 28,000 of free media mileage on the first billboard alone. Globally, both the creative and environment-related publications featured the effort (AdAge Editor’s Pick of the Day, Yahoo News, Sustainable Brands, Campaign Brief Asia and Fast Co.Create to name a few), and from it, the brand received roughly 13M impressions. The brand earned a seat in last year’s annual Sustainable Brands Conference in London amongst 400 advanced executives in corporate sustainability, marketing, brand strategy and product innovation. It was a testament to how this small effort to save the Pasig River has inspired many the world over.