Ad industry partners turned Brand Butlers
MANILA, Philippines — "Walk by faith, not by sight" has always been Grace Consolacion-Marfori's guiding principle. It was what pushed her to take that "leap of faith" and start freelancing during the pandemic.
Two years later, after more than 15 years in advertising, she took it a step further. Together with her longtime friend and colleague, Nicole Sacdalan, she founded Brand Butler, an advertising and marketing consultancy. Interestingly, the daring decision to go freelance happened over frozen margaritas.
"Of all the people I’ve worked with, Nicole is the one who can second-guess me. She’s someone I can trust not just in business but in life in general,” Grace shared. That trust made Nicole the perfect partner to start a company with.
Initially, Nicole was hesitant to leave the corporate world for full-time freelancing. But then she had a realization: across three different companies, she and Grace had always been stronger together. She joked, "Kaysa individually lang kami working, we might as well put up a company.” To which Grace added, "If you're doing something, you better put your best foot forward na." So they did—teaming up for the fourth time.
And in September 2022, Brand Butler was born.
Like a butler who knows exactly what his master wants and needs, Grace and Nicole provide clients with the right expertise, offering behind-the-scenes services that are essential in crafting the campaigns people see.
How it all began
Their first clients were former colleagues and bosses who approached them upon learning they had started a consultancy. Through word-of-mouth from those early projects, they gained even more clients—some small, some bigger, and spanning various industries.
"This is a continuation of our careers, but upscaled," Grace shared. "It’s not just about advertising anymore; we're doing marketing as well."
What sets Brand Butler apart is their unique perspective, having worked on both the agency and client sides of the industry.
Masters of the advertising process
Grace emphasized that Account Management, particularly handling and defending claims in advertising materials, is their forte.
Her former boss was one of the authors of the Advertising Code of Ethics and instilled in their agency the importance of knowing it by heart. Grace carried this discipline into every project she and Nicole worked on.
"Seeking approval of claims for ads is not just memorizing the rules of advertising; it's also a strategy," Grace explained.
This is one of the things they love most about the industry. "Iba ang fulfillment kapag meron kang napa-approve na product claims and then you see it in ads, or when you win cases debunking competing brands' claims," Grace added.
Nicole echoed this sentiment: "Defending product claims isn't just another task on the to-do list. For us, it's a mission. We don’t settle for the bare minimum."
Beyond securing approvals, they aim to improve their clients’ internal processes, optimizing costs and streamlining workflows along the way.
There’s nothing we cannot do
As a company, Brand Butler upholds integrity as its core value. Every day, they live by the mantra they carried from their agency days: "There is nothing that we cannot do."
Grace quipped, "Whatever you ask of us, we don’t stop there."
Nicole added, "We go above and beyond—and that’s a commitment."
Empowered women, bold moves
Grace and Nicole’s transition from employees to entrepreneurs has been a rollercoaster of an adventure. But they remain undaunted.
"Lakasan lang talaga ng loob. Walk by faith, not by sight. And always, always, my faith is greater than my fear," Grace affirmed.
Asked what advice they have for fellow women, they said: "It doesn’t matter where you start or what you have—your courage and principles will take you far."
Big dreams, bigger goals
While they are focused on strengthening relationships with their current clients, Grace and Nicole dream of taking Brand Butler global.
"Our next big dream is to work on global projects," they shared.
With their solid partnership, strong faith, and unwavering commitment to excellence, the future of Brand Butler looks bright.
Editor’s Note: This press release from Brand Butler is published by the Advertising Content Team that is independent from our Editorial Newsroom.
