Why is this work relevant for PR?

The COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines infected almost 450,000 Filipinos. In a separate study from Asian Development Bank, 70% of Philippines Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise (MSMEs) had cash flow problems due and over five million Filipinos are unemployed all because of the pandemic. With this environment, ComCo Southeast Asia saw the need to gather stories that will inspire Filipinos during this period of crisis with the help of blogging communities in the Philippines.

Background

COVID-19 infected and killed thousands of Filipinos. According to a report, 92% of the households reported that their livelihoods are disrupted. Notably, 71% of Filipino workers have reported a loss of job or reduced salaries or revenues. Behind this difficult situation, there are a lot of inspiring stories whether about recovery, helping others, or success. ComCo Southeast Asia saw this opportunity to gather stories that will inspire Filipinos during this period with the help of the blogging community. The goal was to create an impactful campaign that will inspire and ignite the nation amidst the pandemic through the heart-warming stories of the blogging communities in the Philippines. The campaign also has the following objectives: -Create awareness by spreading inspiring stories -Connect the bloggers to advocacies and support NGOs in their COVID-19 response -Have an outlet for ComCo SEA’s partner brands to connect to their stakeholders -Incentivize bloggers in their writing

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

Committed by its mission to ignite social change, a part of its four Agency thrusts, and help its stakeholders during the pandemic, ComCo Southeast Asia created the “Write to Ignite Blogging Project”. The campaign’s main idea is to inspire the nation through the heart-warming stories of the blogging communities all over the country. To make the idea a reality, the company organized the “Write to Ignite” Blogging Project, co-presented by Eastern Communications and sponsored by Electrolux, Jobstreet, and Teleperformance. The initiative engaged bloggers across the Philippines and highlighted the triumph of the human spirit as it encouraged them to share their personal plights and reflections during the COVID-19 pandemic. Igniting and championing the human spirit, “Write to Ignite Blogging Project” pulled and collated powerful stories from the Philippine blogging communities to inspire the nation to rise and move forward amidst the difficult situation.

Describe the PR strategy (30% of vote)

The primary target audience for this initiative are the Filipino bloggers who have their own inspiring stories of survival during this pandemic. Secondly, the initiative is also targeting the Filipino netizens, the readers, and followers of these blogs. The key messages are: 1. ComCo Southeast Asia’s “Write to Ignite Blogging Project” is a response to the need of our times, as every story comes a very long way during this period of crisis. 2. The initiative highlighted the triumph of the human spirit as it encouraged bloggers to share their reflections and personal plights during the COVID-19 pandemic. 3. “Write to Ignite Blog Project” pulled and collated powerful stories from the Philippine blogging communities to inspire the nation to rise and move forward amidst the difficult situation. The initiative, through its various digital promotional materials, was launched online through social media posts, Facebook groups and online communities, and direct e-mail.

Describe the PR execution (20% of vote)

ComCo Southeast Asia’s “Write to Ignite Blogging Project” focused on unleashing the ability of the Filipino bloggers through storytelling to inspire the nation in this time of crisis. The initiative was composed of the following executions: • Partnerships ComCo Southeast Asia collaborated with its clients such as Eastern Communications, Electrolux, Jobstreet, and Teleperformance to make the initiative possible. • Campaign Launch Bloggers in the Philippines were invited to join the project by simply blogging about their experience and realization about life amidst the crisis. • Virtual Awarding Ceremony • Donation Turnover As part of the company’s commitment to helping others during this crisis, CSR was incorporated into the initiative. The top winners were able to share cash prizes each to their chosen non-government organizations (NGOs). • Virtual After Party • Social Media Promotion • Publicity with Industry Publication • Digital Video The initiative ran from May to August 2020.

List the results (30% of vote)

Through this initiative, ComCo SEA was able to achieve its objectives as shown in the data below. • Digital - The social media posts surpassed the targets with a total reach of over 460,000 with 40,000 engagements during the campaign period. • Audience Participation and Media Mileage - The campaign was able to gather 70 stories from different parts of the Philippines, 152% higher than the target, and obtained a total of Php 13,698,100.00 media mileage. In terms of publicity, the campaign got a total of Php 643,727.40 media mileage. • Blog and Social Media Comments - From the entries gathered, the initiative was able to accumulate a total of 2,401 positive comments from the readers. • NGO Beneficiaries – The company was also able to donate a total of Php 30,000.00 to three (3) chosen NGOs, SOS Children’s Villages, Humanility, and World Vision. • Cash Incentives - Through the initiative, ComCo SEA was also able to distribute a total of Php 100,000.00 to the finalists and winners and those who participated in the After Party. The winners also received merchandise from sponsors with a total worth of Php40,000.00.