KEEPING FAMILIES TOGETHER COME HELL OR HIGH WATER

TitleKEEPING FAMILIES TOGETHER COME HELL OR HIGH WATER
BrandMERALCO (MANILA ELECTRIC COMPANY)
Product / ServiceSALBA-BOTE FLOTATION DEVICE
CategoryA01. Innovative Technology (incl. standalone solutions not in association with a brand or creative campaign)
EntrantDDB PHILIPPINES Taguig City, THE PHILIPPINES
Entrant Company DDB PHILIPPINES Taguig City, THE PHILIPPINES
Advertising Agency MERALCO Pasig City, THE PHILIPPINES

Credits

Name Company Position
Timmy M. Jayme DDB Philippines Chief Operations Officer
Katherine V. Arellano DDB Philippines Chief Business Integrator & Strategist
Bobby T. Vito DDB Philippines Creative Director
Shackie B. Caccam DDB Philippines Associate Creative Director
Jasmin S. Saldariega DDB Philippines Associate Creative Director
Kelvin E. Co DDB Philippines Art Director
Blessel C. Dapo DDB Philippines Senior Art Director
Joy E. Mongado DDB Philippines Art Director
Jake Morales DDB Philippines Senior Copywriter
Bernice C. Reyes DDB Philippines Copywriter
Marnie C. Emralino DDB Philippines Account Supervisor
Rishi Mandhyan DDB Philippines Account Director
Andre E. Figuracion DDB-PR Senior Account Manager
Ivana T. Bito DDB Philippines Account Manager
Katrina C. Butiong DDB Philippines Account Coordinator
Jose Antonio T. Valdez MERALCO (Manila Electric Company) VP & Head, Marketing, Customer Solutions and Product Development
Vice Admiral Valentin B. Prieto, Jr. Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary (PCGA) National Director
Rear Admiral Hilarion F. Dimagiba, Jr. Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary (PCGA) Deputy National Director for Administration
Commodore Salvador G. Tiangco, Jr. Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary (PCGA) NCR-CL District Director
Capt. Rosalino L. Marable Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary (PCGA) 105th Auxiliary Squadron, Former Deputy Director for Operations of PCGA NCR-CM

The Brief

During Typhoon Haiyan, a high school teacher heard her daughter’s last words: “Ma, just let go. Save yourself.” This was before the little girl was swept away by on-coming floodwaters. Her body ended up pierced by wooden splinters from houses crushed by the super typhoon. (Source: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/524723/ma-just-let-go-save-yourself) In the face of storms of this magnitude, ordinary life vests and improvised flotation devices are not enough. Even if they keep you afloat, how can they prevent you from being swept away by the rushing current? How can they keep families from being tragically separated from one other?

Salbabote is the first and only IFD officially endorsed by the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary and the Philippine Red Cross. Both organizations attest to the durability and effectiveness of the device for as long as safety precautions are followed. "Give this to the rescuers… to train those people beside the perilous rivers, then we could save a lot more lives." - Richard J. Gordon, Chairman and CEO, Philippine Red Cross "Our test on the Salbabote showed that it is innovative and effective, and will definitely enhance our organizations rescue capabilities." - Vice Admiral Valentin B. Prieto, Jr. National Director, PCGA An initial 15,000 units have been produced and will be distributed to rescue organizations and Filipino families in low-lying areas and coastal communities. To propagate the use of Salbabote, Meralco has signed partnerships with Pepsi, Glad, Philippine Red Cross, PCGA, and the Marikina City government. More are expected to join in this effort to learn from our experience, prevent more tragedies and help save more families all over the country especially during the typhoon season.

Meralco, a power utility company whose service area includes many flood-prone cities, asked us to develop the Salbabote (from the word “salba” meaning “to rescue” and “bote” meaning “bottles”). Taking inspiration from the improvised PET bottle flotation devices used by Filipino fishermen for decades, the Salbabote was designed to be more than just another improvised flotation device—but a multi-functional rescue device and survival kit. The Salbabote keeps the wearer afloat with 4 PET bottles and a net design that prevents water from accumulating and weighing down the bag. But what truly sets it apart from other flotation devices are its tether straps and interlocking clips. The tether strap allows the user to anchor himself to a secure object that will prevent him from being swept away by floodwaters. The strap can also be used by a rescuer to throw a Salbabote towards a person in the water, and safely reel that person in. The clips allow one Salbabote to interlock with another. This ensures that children can be literally connected to their parents, preventing them from getting separated during a storm surge. Connect more Salbabotes with one another and you can form a raft that can be used to rescue the sick, the pregnant, the disabled, and the elderly. Each Salbabote comes with a waterproof pouch for keeping cellphones and other valuables dry, a reflector to make it easy for rescuers to spot the wearer even at night, and a whistle to help the wearer call for attention or help. The Salbabote is a low-cost device which makes it easy to produce and distribute to Local Government Units, rescue organizations, and ordinary citizens.