Manila, Philippines – Capturing beauty in the digital age, HONOR Philippines recently partnered with the Miss Universe Philippines organisation, bringing the pageant’s digital community to a more dynamic and technologically advanced landscape.
Speaking on how the partnership started, HONOR PH’s Brand Marketing Head, Joepy Jean Libo-on, shared, “The partnership started from a clear strategic opportunity to bring HONOR into a platform that is highly visible, culturally relevant, and emotionally engaging for Filipinos.”
This collaboration positions Miss Universe Philippines as an efficient platform, as Joepy emphasised that it already possesses strong public attention and an active digital community. She also highlighted how the platform enabled the candidates to amplify their own voices, stories, and influence.
Under the partnership, HONOR PH integrated its digital touchpoints throughout the pageant’s timeline—from content shoots and social media storytelling to candidate-led content, AI demonstrations, and on-ground executions.
Alongside this, the brand worked closely with the candidates to enable them ‘to experience the product themselves’ and understand how the AI features work. Consequently, the candidates were able to use the devices to create content, specifically by integrating AI for enhanced creativity, including AI editing and AI Image-to-Video features.
“For us, it was not just about exposure. It was about finding the right space where technology, especially AI, could be demonstrated through real people, real stories, and relatable content,” added Joepy.
Building on this, the brand shared how its focus centred on ‘making the phone part of the story’.
Joepy shared, “The candidates used the device in ways that felt natural to them — creating content, capturing moments, and showing how AI can enhance creativity. That made the campaign more authentic because the product was not just being advertised; it was being experienced and demonstrated.”
Moreover, an integral part of the partnership is ensuring that AI is simply understood. As Joepy noted, their role is to ‘simplify the message’.
“AI can sound technical, intimidating, or too advanced if communicated the wrong way. So our goal was to translate it into something Filipinos can immediately understand: “How does this help me create better photos, better videos, and better content?”
Taking on multiple roles, Joepy explained how their internal team worked closely with the organisation. The training team ensured the AI features were well-demonstrated, while the marketing team translated these technical features into engaging content ideas.
“For me, that was the most important part of the partnership — making AI feel accessible. We did not want to present AI as something complicated. We wanted people to see that with the right smartphone, AI can be part of their everyday creativity,” added Joepy.
Looking ahead, she also noted how she envisions the brand continuing to play a role in helping candidates create, connect, and tell their stories more effectively using AI and mobile technology.
When asked how she views the partnership evolving, Joepy shared, “We want this partnership to evolve beyond brand exposure and become a stronger platform where beauty, purpose, innovation, and storytelling come together in a way that feels meaningful and relevant to Filipinos.”
While the pageant scene has continually evolved its presence beyond coronation nights, this partnership marks a significant milestone in merging high-stakes pageantry with the cutting edge of consumer technology.
