Gigil (stylized as GIGIL) is a Philippine advertising agency based in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, Philippines.[1]
![]() | |
Company type | Advertising agency |
---|---|
Industry | Advertising, marketing |
Founded | 2017 |
Founders |
|
Headquarters | , |
Website | gigil |
Background
editGigil was founded by Badong Abesamis, Herbert Hernandez, and Isabel Prollamante.[2] The group considered naming their agency "No Plan B" or "Toyo" but decided to adopt Abesamis' proposal "Gigil" to reflect the agency's vision of "passion" or hard work. Gigil was officially launched in October 2017.[3]
After Prollamante left for abroad, Gigil appointed Jake Yrastorza as Managing Partner.[4]
Gigil has commissioned works for numerous brands such as 7-Eleven, AirAsia, Globe, Jollibee, Levi's, Netflix, Procter & Gamble, RC Cola, Unilever, and Vivo, among others.[3][5]
In January 2023, Gigil announced its expansion to the United States and Canada by opening offices in Los Angeles, New York, and Toronto.[6]
Industry recognition
editGigil was named by Campaign as the Philippines Independent Agency of the Year and the Philippines Creative Agency of the Year for 2020.[2][7]
Gigil was named by Ad Age as International Small Agency of the Year for 2021.[8]
In 2023, the Philippine Daily Inquirer named Gigil the No. 2 Philippine Growth Champion, as it placed second among 25 Philippine companies that achieved the highest percentage growth in revenues between 2018 and 2021.[9] The UK's Financial Times named Gigil as one of the High-Growth Companies in Asia Pacific. Gigil was the highest-placing ad agency on the list, making it the fastest-growing ad agency in the Asia-Pacific.[10][11] Campaign Brief Asia named Gigil as the No. 1 ad agency in the Philippines, No. 2 in Asia, and No. 3 in the Asia-Pacific.[12] Badong Abesamis and Herbert Hernandez were also declared the Philippines' Most Awarded Creative Directors.[13] The Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies of the Philippines proclaimed Gigil as Independent Agency of the Year in its Agency of the Year Awards. Gigil also won Best in Media Creativity, Independent Agency of the Year for Best in Market Performance, Independent Agency of the Year for Best in Management of Business, and Independent Agency of the Year for Best in Creative.[14] The Asia Pacific Effie Awards, Gigil was named the Top 2 Independent Agency in the APAC region.[15] In the Digital Marketing Association of the Philippines' Boomerang Awards, Gigil was declared Agency of the Year, having won 1 gold, 3 silver, and 1 bronze award collectively.[16] Gigil won the Philippines Independent Agency of the Year silver in the Southeast Asia Campaign Agency of the Year awards. Gigil was also awarded the Southeast Asia Agency Marketer Partnership of the Year bronze with Netflix.[17]
In 2024, Gigil was awarded by the Philippine Marketing Association's Agora Awards as Marketing Agency of the Year.[18] Gigil was also named for the second consecutive year as a Philippine Growth Champion by The Philippine Daily Inquirer and Statista, having achieved the highest percentage growth in revenue among Filipino companies between 2019 and 2022.[19] Gigil was also named for the second consecutive year by the Financial Times as among Asia-Pacific's fastest growing businesses on its list of High-Growth Companies Asia-Pacific 2024.[20]
Notable campaigns
editGigil's Shop2Give campaign in 2018 for Unilever was awarded by Lazada as the Best Marketing Innovation 2018 and also won an award for Best Campaign Execution at the Lazada Philippines Lazada Awards.[21][22] It also won a gold award for Advocacy and a silver award for Responsible Citizenship at the 2019 Tambuli Awards and a bronze award for the E-commerce category at the 2019 ADFEST Awards.[23] Within the same year, Gigil's Dr. Internet campaign in for Konsulta MD won a bronze award for the Healthcare category at the 2018 Spikes Asia Awards and a bronze award for the Digital Craft category at the 2018 Boomerang Awards.[3][24] It also won two gold awards for Creative Storytelling and for Film Craft: Best Copywriting, and a bronze for Creative Effectiveness: Film at the 2019 Kidlat Awards.[25]
Gigil's Studs campaign in 2019 for Levi's Philippines won a silver award for Fashion & Beauty at the 2019 Clio Awards.[26][27] It also won a bronze award for Creative Effectiveness at the 2019 Kidlat Awards, two bronze awards for Brand Storytelling and Seasons Celebration at the Asia Pacific Tambuli Awards, two silver awards for Effectiveness at the 2019 Boomerang Awards, and a gold award for the Retail category at the 2020 Asia Pacific Effie Awards, making Gigil the first independent agency from the Philippines to win an Effie gold.[28][29]
Gigil's Basta campaign in 2020 for RC Cola, which featured a boy confronting his mother if he is adopted due to glasses embedded on his back, won a bronze award for Film at the Cannes Lion 2021.[30] It also won a bronze award at the 2021 Asia Pacific Effie Awards for the Youth Marketing category, a silver award at the 2022 Asia Pacific Effie Awards for the Beverages, Non-Alcohol category and the Short Video Marketing category, and a bronze award for Film at the 2022 Clio Awards.[31][32]
Gigil did a marketing campaign for the Singaporean Netflix animated series Trese in 2021.[33]
Gigil's Party campaign in 2022 for Cheers, won a bronze award for Film at the Cannes Lions 2022.[34] Gigil also won silver awards from the London International Awards (LIA) in 2022 for their Cheers Party and Orocan Pail campaigns.[35]
The Clio Entertainment Awards also awarded Gigil two silver awards for their Netflix Literal Money Heist and Netflix Jaywalking campaigns, and a bronze award for their Netflix Reel to Real campaign in 2022.[36]
Gigil turned the SM Mall of Asia Globe into a colossal basketball for Smart Communications, to promote its sponsorship of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup happening in the Philippines.[37] The campaign won a bronze in the Clio Sports awards.[38]
Gigil won a silver for its Delivery Man campaign for Grab under the New Product or Service – Line Extension category and a bronze for its Globe campaign under the Carpe Diem – Services category at the 2023 Asia Pacific Effie Awards.[39]
Gigil won a silver in the Clio Entertainment awards for a billboard campaign for Netflix's title Glass Onion in 2023.[40] The agency also won another silver in the Clio Entertainment for The KoolPals Thanks, Haters! NFT, in which online hate for the group was turned into money, in the same year.[41]
In 2024, Gigil was handpicked by The ONE Asia Creative Awards of The One Show New York to conceptualize and execute its call-for-entries campaign.[42]
Gigil won a gold for its 4Dish Pot campaign for Netflix under the Outdoor Lotus category and a bronze for its Bag campaign for Mandaue Foam under the Film Lotus category in the ADFEST 2024 Lotus Awards.[43]
Gigil's Summer campaign in 2024 for Grab, won a silver award for Film at the Cannes Lions 2024.[44]
Controversies
editIn 2021, Gigil released the Pandemic Effect campaign for the Belo Medical Group. The ad featured a woman gaining weight, growing body hair, and getting acne while watching a stream of bad news amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The ad received negative reception, which led to the pull-out of the ad and a one-year suspension of Gigil's membership from The Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies of the Philippines.[45] Gigil and the Belo Medical Group promptly issued an apology and vowed to be more sensitive and inclusive in their advertising practices moving forward.[46][47]
In July 2024, the descendants of Gil Puyat filed a complaint against Gigil for their guerilla marketing stunt where they replaced the signage of Gil Puyat Avenue to Gil Tulog, a wordplay on puyat which also means sleepless in Tagalog, and tulog meaning sleep. The marketing tactic was for Wellspring's sleep supplements.[48][49][50]
References
edit- ^ "Gigil". Gigil. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
- ^ a b Rodriguez, Mia. "The Origin Story of Gigil, The Ad Agency That's Got Everyone Talking". Spot.ph. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
- ^ a b c Abellon, Bam (January 29, 2019). "Ad man and music guy Herbert Hernandez on grand plans and happy accidents". ANCX. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
- ^ magazine, adobo (November 26, 2018). "GIGIL names Jake Yrastorza Managing Partner". adobo Magazine Online. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- ^ "work". gigil.com.ph.
- ^ Jardine, Alexandra (January 24, 2023). "Filipino Agency Gigil Expands to the US and Canada". Retrieved February 5, 2023.
- ^ "People: Gigil's Abesamis and Hernandez make it to Adweek's Creative 100". adobomagazine.com. June 16, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
- ^ "Ad agency Gigil shows creativity can't be locked down". mb.com.ph. January 19, 2022. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
- ^ Arceo-Dumlao, Tina (March 6, 2023). "Standing proud, growing strong despite the pandemic's challenges". Philippine Daily Inquirer. p. 1. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
- ^ "FT ranking: High-Growth Companies Asia Pacific 2023". March 15, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
- ^ "Gigil is fastest-growing ad agency in APAC according to Financial Times". adobo magazine. March 27, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
- ^ "Campaign Brief's The Work 2023: VMLY&R Australia named APAC Agency of the Year and Ogilvy Thailand named Asia Agency of the Year. GIGIL Manila, BBDO Bangkok, DDB Mudra India and Ogilvy Taiwan make up the Top 5 from Asia". Campaign Brief Asia. August 1, 2023. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
- ^ "Campaign Brief Asia Creative Rankings 2023: GIGIL ranks #1 in The Philippines with Leo Burnett, BBDO Guerrero + Propel making up the top 4". Campaign Brief Asia. September 6, 2023. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
- ^ Ledesma, Sam (September 19, 2023). "Filipino creativity takes center stage at 25th AOY Awards – adobo Magazine". adobo magazine. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
- ^ "Ogilvy and CHEP Melbourne emerge as APAC Effie Awards' big winners". adobo magazine. October 2, 2023. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
- ^ "The winners of the Boomerang Awards 2023 are in – adobo Magazine". adobo magazine. October 20, 2023. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
- ^ "Southeast Asia". Agency of the year Awards. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
- ^ "42nd Agora Awards celebrates Filipino marketing excellence". The Manila Times. January 20, 2024. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- ^ Inquirer, Philippine Daily (February 19, 2024). "Growth Champions shine post-COVID". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
- ^ Bell, Amy (March 13, 2024). "FT ranking: High-Growth Companies Asia-Pacific 2024". Financial Times. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ "Give back to society by buying Unilever products on Lazada". nationthailand.com. August 16, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
- ^ "Brand & Business: Lazada Recognizes 23 Outstanding Sellers and Brands at the Very First Lazada Awards with a Focus on Impactful Campaigns and Purposeful Products". adobomagazine.com. September 2, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
- ^ "Brand & Business: Unilever's "Shop2Give" Campaign with Gigil Scored Gold and Silver at the 2019 Asia Pacific Tambuli Awards". adobomagazine.com. June 7, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
- ^ "11-month-old Gigil wins in Spikes, Boomerangs". adobomagazine.com. October 8, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
- ^ Venus, Nina (May 2, 2019). "Kidlat 2019: First Time is the Charm for Ideas Agency Gigil at the Kidlat Awards 2019". adobo Magazine.
- ^ Venus, Niña (September 4, 2019). "Clio Awards 2019: Ideas Agency Gigil is Lone Victor, Brings Home Silver for Levi's Studs". adobomagazine.com. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
- ^ Shaw, Kim (September 4, 2019). "Gold to Publicis Singapore, Wunderman Thompson Bangkok, R/GA Tokyo, BBDO Pakistan + FCB India at 2019 CLIO Awards". campaignbriefasia.com. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
- ^ "Gigil Philippines is first Indie agency from the Philippines to win an APAC Effie Gold". Campaign Brief Asia. September 25, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
- ^ "Boomerang Awards 2019: Gigil Wins For 5 Big Brands During The Boomerang Awards". adobomagazine.com. October 25, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
- ^ "Awards: GIGIL's RC Cola 'Family' wins a Bronze Film Lions at Cannes". adobomagazine.com. June 29, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
- ^ "Local Ad Agency Gigil Wins 3rd Year in a Row at Asia Pacific Awards for Marketing". wheninmanila.com. October 25, 2022. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
- ^ "Gigil Agency wins a bronze in 2022 Clio Awards". mb.com.ph. April 23, 2022. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
- ^ Grana, Rhia. "Exclusive! The selling of 'Trese' and the stories behind those slashed and vandalized billboards". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
- ^ "Pinoy ad firm Gigil bags Bronze Lion award in 2022 Cannes Lions". news.abs-cbn.com. July 12, 2022. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
- ^ "Gigil and Arcade Film Factory take home metals for the Philippines at the 2022 London International Awards". adobo Magazine Online. October 18, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
- ^ Inocencio, Jason (November 25, 2022). "Independent agency Gigil wins Silvers, Bronze for PH at the 2022 Clio Entertainment Awards". adobo magazine. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
- ^ magazine, adobo (August 25, 2023). "SMART & GIGIL transform MOA Ball for FIBA 2023 – adobo Magazine". adobo magazine. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
- ^ "Smart Telco - Ball". Clios. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
- ^ Ledesma, Sam (October 2, 2023). "Silver and Bronze winners Gigil, Bates CHI&Partners, and TBWA\SMP rep Philippine creativity at APAC Effies". adobo magazine. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
- ^ "Gigil wins Clio Entertainment silver for Netflix – adobo Magazine". adobo Magazine Online. adobo magazine. November 20, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
- ^ "The KoolPals - Thanks, Haters! NFT". Clios. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
- ^ "ONE Asia Creative Awards | The One Club". www.oneclub.org. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
- ^ Ortiz, Nala (March 23, 2024). "Gigil, MullenLowe Treyna, and TBWA\SMP win big at the final Adfest Lotus Awards". adobo magazine. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
- ^ Shaw, Adam (June 21, 2024). "GIGIL PHILIPPINES WINS SILVER IN THE CANNES FILM LIONS: THAILAND SCORES 5 OF ASIA'S 8 BRONZE LIONS". Campaign Brief Asia. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
- ^ "4As Philippines suspends Gigil over controversial Belo ad". Rappler. October 6, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
- ^ "Gigil ad agency apologizes for Belo Medical Group's controversial 'Pandemic Effect' ad". L!fe. The Philippine Star. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
- ^ Madarang, Catalina Ricci (September 1, 2021). "Belo, Hayden reluctant prior to release of #PandemicEffect ad, says Quark Henares". InterAksyon. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
- ^ "Exclusive: Puyat family files complaint vs ad agency suspected of doing 'Gil Tulog' signs". Rappler. July 26, 2024. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
- ^ Reyes, Juno (July 26, 2024). "Wellspring publicly apologizes for controversial 'Gil Tulog' street signs". Rappler. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
- ^ Ferreras, Vince (July 26, 2024). "Puyat family files complaint vs. ad agency over Gil Tulog campaign". GMA News. Retrieved July 27, 2024.