LONDON TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno took home two Wood Pencils last night for “Correcting History”, and “Dirty Water Color” at the 2017 D&AD Awards. “Correcting History” was recognized under the Public Affairs Campaign category, while “Dirty Water Color” won for Public Service Press Advertising.
“Correcting History” was a collaboration between TBWA\SMP and Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses to Malacañang (CARMMA)—an NGO dedicated to raising awareness on the corruption and human rights abuses of the Marcos administration. The online film sparked a conversation that led to legislation amending history textbooks used in Filipino schools.
“We are proud to be playing a part in helping Filipinos learn the truth of our shared history, and this campaign has actually gone further than we could have imagined,” said TBWA\SMP Managing Partner & Chief Creative Officer Melvin Mangada. “With alternative facts and false news being spread every day, there has never been a greater need for clear, truthful voices.”
The other winning work, “Dirty Watercolor”, was made for the ABS-CBN Foundation’s initiative to restore Manila’s polluted rivers and estuaries. Using polluted river water samples to create unique pigments, local artists crafted artwork that raised over Php 1.3M for the Foundation. The effort and accompanying exhibit were picked up by media outlets all over the world, including the BBC and Reuters.
The Wood Pencils are the two campaigns’ latest awards, coming on the heels of metal wins at this year’s Kidlat, AdFest, Webbys, and adobo Design Awards. TBWA\SMP was the only Philippine-based advertising agency to have won Pencils this year.
Widely recognized to be the toughest show of them all, the D&AD Awards are an annual recognition of outstanding design and advertising from around the world.