Leading the industry in socially distant times
MANILA On February 17th, at its first general members meeting of the year, the Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies of the Philippines’ inducted its 2021 Officers and Board of Trustees board of trustees. Sworn in by Department of Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno chief creative officer Melvin Mangada officially assumed the role of 4As Chair. In previous years, Mangada has served the 4As in multiple capacities, including Vice-President from 2020-2021.
With the COVID-19 pandemic drastically changing the nature of industries across the board, Mangada and his team have their work cut out for them. In his acceptance speech, Melvin entreated upon the audience to take on a spirit of hope, listing the accomplishments of the past 12 months as proof of creativity’s power against adversity.
Optimism notwithstanding, Mangada was realistic about the obstacles the advertising business faced as a whole, noting that, as much as things had changed within (and without) the traditional agency set-up, only two industries had the best chances of making it through: the one providing the necessities, and the one led by innovators.
“To paraphrase an adage,” he said, “the pandemic is the mother of innovation. There will be a lot of rebuilding, and rebuilding will need creativity. The greatest force through the history of humankind is inventiveness and adaptability. No one can ever underestimate the power of imagination and adaptation, most especially if creative people work together.”
On his plans for the year ahead, Melvin promised that he and his fellow Board members would work hand in sanitized hand to evolve the local advertising industry, while tirelessly keeping the creative spirit of innovation alive, while maintaining a balance between work and self. Now, more than ever, member agencies would need to keep in mind that, “Progress is far more important than process. Commerce is for humanity, not above it, and that a brand’s voice, when used in meaningful ways, will echo beyond any crisis.
| 4As 2021 BOARD OF TRUSTEES | |
| Chairman | MELVIN M. MANGADA Chairman\Chief Creative Officer TBWA\SMP |
| President | NORMAN A. AGATEP President & Managing Director Grupo Agatep |
| Vice-President | TEENY G. GONZALES Chief Executive Officer & Chief Creative Officer Seven AD |
| Board Secretary | ANNA CHUA-NORBERT Group Chief Culture Officer DDB Philippines |
| Treasurer | JOHN T. LUCAS Chief Executive Officer Grey Manila |
| Corporate Controller | ALEX Y. SYFU Managing Partner & Chief Client Officer Dentsu JaymeSyfu |
| TRUSTEES | |
| DAVID GUERRERO Creative Chairman BBDO Guerrero |
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| HANS G. GAHOL Senior Director, Account Management & Business Development WOO |
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| JC VALENZUELA Chief Executive Officer & President Propel Manila 360 |
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For more information on the 4As, its Board, Trustees, and its projects, please visit www.4asphilippines.com.