Those other stars up in the sky

The metro is notorious for its traffic clogged thoroughfares, smog-blanketed skies, and shabbily-clad sidewalks. Everyday, tired and sullen commuters have to endure stretches of hostile roads drowning in the din and languishing in the dim of urban decay.

But somewhere in the horizon, as if a mirage in the middle of a relentless dessert, looms a blazing star. From its lofty perch, a colossal smile greets the weary traveler. Sharon Cuneta (photographed from her favorite angle), entices one to drink her favorite milk, Aga Muhlach (printed up with his killer dimples), tempts us to take a bit of his crispy chicken, Cesar Montano (precariously poised on a bike), lures us to the thrill of the sporty life with his underfashion ken.

Advertising billboards with celebrity models (movies, TV, recording and sports) have proliferated as the deus ex machina of the urban jungle. Main thoroughfares such as EDSA, North and South Expressway, Quezon Avenue, Shaw Boulevard, and Aurora Boulevard in Metro Manila have their colossus in strategic bends. Key cities like Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Bacolod and Iloilo boast of their own monoliths in steel. Flaunting their "Stars in the Sky," these outdoor advertising medium heralds that a product or service has arrived.

Why billboards?

Lovelle Sy, Marketing Manager of Mansfield International Inc., the maker of Hanford and Hartmann underfashion, sees billboards as effective advertising tools, especially for the undergarments industry. "They enable us to showcase our products and entice viewers to our latest lines even while they are on the road," she explains.

They are also cost-effective, particularly for small and medium-size businesses which can’t afford the enormous budget for TV spots that sometimes reach the hundred millions mark.

Mansfield has been utilizing outdoor ads since early 1980. Its maiden billboard stood along E. Rodriguez Avenue, near Araneta Avenue in Quezon City. Simple by today’s standards, it carried the Hanford logotype, painted on GI sheet board, with goose lamps for illumination. The cost was only P2,500 per month for the 12 x 36 billboard.

Billboard technology has once grown by leaps and bounds. New materials like tarpaulin for photoboards, and tri-vision (three faces) mounted on steel structures for example, have steadily mushroomed in the metropolis.

Manny Andaya, Vice President for Marketing of Erectors, Inc. a veteran outdoor ad executive with 20 years behind him in the industry, attests to the steady growth of billboards as advertising tools.

"The going rate is P50,000 - P150,000 in Metro Manila and around P15,000 to P30,000 in the provinces," Manny says. This depends on the size (which may range from the small 16 x 48 meters to the medium 20 x40 meters to the huge 30 x 60 meters) and the location."

The rates skyrocketed after the EDSA Revolution. This was an offshoot of the bourgeoning economy after the repressive Martial Law regime."

The larger than life photographs in tarpaulin boards present imposing figures to motorists and commuters. By riding on the popularity of the star-endorses like Sharon, Aga & Cesar, these products gain top-of-the-mind state with end consumers. The positive image is etched in their minds and is hopefully translated into sales.

"Based on our experience, billboards have attained their objectives," Lovelle notes which is why Mansfield has signed up celebrity endorsers for Hanford like ABS-CBN contract star Carlos Agassi, multi-awarded actor Cesar Montano, popular lead vocalist of South Border Band , Luke Mejares, MBA star player Alex Compton, and Viva’s sexy actress and sultry singer Patricia Javier. Before Sunshine Cruz got married to Cesar, she was a Hartmann model.

"It became imperative for us to increase allocation for outdoor advertising to showcase these stars in actual life situations, using the products they endorse," adds Lovelle.

This year, Mansfield has doubled its billboards. Within Metro Manila, it has now around 20 sites and in the provinces, another 20. Following industry trend, it has effected a cut in TV placements and has shifted to outdoor ads.

Even stars see the importance of having giant posters in the sky as an integral portion of their advertising contracts with the advertiser and their agencies.

Sa Dulo ng Walang Hanggan star Carlos Agassi relishes the fact that his larger-than-life images for Hanford are all the metropolis and other growth centers of the archipelago. Montano, for his part believes that his billboard agreement with Mansfield enhances his over-all projection to the public.

There are crucial factors in choosing a particular billboard. Following are tips from Jun Perez, President of Admark Advertising Co., a known outdoor supplier.

• Billboards much preferably be located in high traffic by commuter areas like those with shopping centers.

• The cost of rental per month budget is around P50,000 to P150,000;

• Consider the size, visibility, cost and reliability of the outdoor agency.

Like any other tools, billboards also have their problems. Among them are unreasonable site owners (tremendous rate increases and restrictions), government regulations, vandals, force majure (typhoons, earthquakes), and oversaturated or cluttered sites.

The Outdoor Agencies Association of the Philippines (OAAP) strives to prevent these problems. However, not all outdoor agencies are members.

Despite the odds however, the gargantuan sentinels of our highways – with the sunny smiles and twinkling eyes of their celebrity endorsers – will continue to guard the horizons. After all, the Stars in the Sky bring man closer to his ultimate desire and destination to fulfill his needs and wants in a market place teeming with products and services.