FEELS

TitleFEELS
BrandSUYEN CORP.
Product / ServiceSUYEN CORP.
CategoryA04. Online: Non-fiction
EntrantTBWA\SANTIAGO MANGADA PUNO Makati City, THE PHILIPPINES
Idea Creation TBWA\SANTIAGO MANGADA PUNO Makati City, THE PHILIPPINES
Production HOW'S EVERYTHING Makati City, THE PHILIPPINES

Credits

Name Company Position
Melvin M. Mangada TBWA\SANTIAGO MANGADA PUNO Executive Creative Director
Melvin M. Mangada TBWA\SANTIAGO MANGADA PUNO Chief Creative Officer
Chino Jayme TBWA\SANTIAGO MANGADA PUNO Creative Director
Dennis Claveria\Arthur Ryan Aquino TBWA\SANTIAGO MANGADA PUNO Art Director
Dennis Claveria TBWA\SANTIAGO MANGADA PUNO Associate Creative Director\Art Director
John Ed de Vera TBWA\SANTIAGO MANGADA PUNO Art Director
Portia Catuira TBWA\SANTIAGO MANGADA PUNO Managing Director
Paolo Broma TBWA\SANTIAGO MANGADA PUNO Business Unit Director
maxine lozada TBWA\SANTIAGO MANGADA PUNO Account Manager
Emilie Batard TBWA\SANTIAGO MANGADA PUNO Director
Sunny Lucero/Mitch Dela Cruz/Denise Jose TBWA\SANTIAGO MANGADA PUNO Agency Producers
Nolan Fabular TBWA\SANTIAGO MANGADA PUNO Associate Creative Director
Kiko de Dios/Kevin Gabon TBWA\SANTIAGO MANGADA PUNO Offline/Online editors
Chino Jayme and Denise Oyog TBWA\SANTIAGO MANGADA PUNO Copywriters

The Campaign

In keeping with the spirit of Bench Barber in achieving aspirations and kickstarting the dreams of many men and women across the globe, the brand launched by collaborating with Mark Bustos during one of his trips back to the Philippines for an unlikely experience — creating a haircut so unique even a blind man could appreciate it.

Creative Execution

Mark Bustos met James Ricafort, a man diagnosed with optic nerve blindness at the age of 16, and wanted to create something that he alone can fully appreciate — a haircut that even a blind man can feel. In giving a blind man a new hope, Mark unexpectedly gained a brand new perspective in life. The moments they had were all captured into a film to convey a message of compassion. Not only did he make James feel a renewed sense of confidence, but he also gave hope for everyone who had something taken away from them.

The film was premiered during the December 10, 2016 Bench Barbers launch, making the event an instant success. The campaign was eventually released on the official Bench Lifestyle Facebook page and has received more than five million views in just a few days — making it the most-viewed non-celebrity video in Philippine retail.

Bench is a Philippine global fashion brand known to use a vast pool of celebrity endorsers, mostly of Filipino descent, to promote Filipino-made products and to create awareness of Filipino culture and values. Mark Bustos is an acclaimed international hairstylist, earning his own fame on social media. He features stories of the homeless as he gives them free haircuts, boosting their confidence to start anew. The collaboration of the two as brand-endorser was an ideal fit because of the similarity in nature of Bench’s new business with Mark’s line of work, but more importantly for their shared values and philosophies.

In the Philippines, cosmetic and fashion brands are known to place an exceptionally high value on outward appearances, exploiting seemingly drab wardrobes, to natural yet lackluster hair — all of which “need” products or treatments to inch to an acceptable state. These luxuries have evolved into necessities in order to be accepted by society. Bench saw an opportunity to disrupt this by transforming people inside — by collaborating with Mark Bustos, known for his free haircuts for the homeless. He believes that haircuts are more than about looking good, but giving them the dignity and the confidence to start anew.

Links

Video URL