Manila, Philippines – To give Filipinos the spark of rediscovering their love for reading, national educational retail and book store brand National Book Store has launched a new campaign which depicts our inner bookworm–in a very tongue-in-cheek and literal way.

The new film titled ‘Passion’ was conceptualised alongside local independent agency Leron Leron Sinta. It revolves around a seemingly ordinary mother with a secret that is anything but ordinary. 

The film’s main turning point is when the mother, after seeing National Book Store’s diverse selection of reads and bestselling books, is triggered to molt her human guise to reveal her true self: a bookworm. 

For the brand, this film’s unexpected transformation symbolises the constant internal conflict between personal passions and parental duties, resonating deeply with viewers of all ages. 

In an exclusive conversation with MARKETECH APAC, Varge Masanque, creative partner at Leron Leron Sinta stated that they at the agency initially assumed that National Book Store wanted to maintain the same old tone of the brand. Hence during their initial presentation, they shared ideas that unmistakably represented the brand.

“To our surprise, they wanted to try something new and explore a different approach, leading us to a humorous concept. Our lesson learned here is: don’t assume what your clients want. Always give them what you believe they need and what will help them meet their business goals,” Masanque said.

He also added, “National Book Store wants to encourage Filipino Gen Zs to visit its physical stores and rediscover their passion for reading and learning. And what’s the best way to do that than to engage Gen Z through humour to spark conversations and entice them to buy their school supplies at National Book Store.”

Meanwhile, Adrian Ramos, president and CEO of National Book Store told MARKETECH APAC that with the brand always being a pioneer and an innovator in the retail industry, they certainly wanted to explore doing an impactful and unique film like this.

“More than having the right blend of horror and humour, we wanted a film that represents the powerful relationship many Filipino families, barkadas (friend groups), and shoppers share with us: the nostalgia of visiting our stores and discovering many sulit (affordable) reads and finds,” Ramos said.

He added, “We were thrilled to collaborate with a dynamic and passionate agency like Leron Leron Sinta, and work closely with their creative minds to bring this memorable and successful ad to life. We specifically thought of younger Filipinos’ interest for these kinds of ads, and wanted to help them reconnect with National Book Store in a fun yet relatable way.”

This ad follows a slew of National Book Store’s newly launched store tiers this year: the Superbranch and National Everyday. Their new Mall of Asia store is the first Superbranch, offering an all-new and completely transformed shopping experience. It offers more product categories, including K-Pop and travel items that appeal specifically to young adults and students, and will soon have a café for customers to enjoy. Meanwhile, the National Everyday, which currently has 2 stores – SM Hypermarket FTI and Waltermart Bacoor – has a more curated selection of books and items in easily accessible commercial locations.

“From families going together to older students completing their own checklists, Laking National customers can look forward to a more sulit (affordable), more rewarding, and more enjoyable back-to-school shopping experience in our over 240 branches nationwide and online,” Ramos concluded.

Manila, Philippines – Following the recent launch of their agency, Filipino indie agency Leron Leron Sinta has debuted its first agency film–and in true hilarious fashion features a tirade of various ad industry cliches most are familiar with now.

The film features local content creator Armando Loko as he wanders through the streets holding cardboard signs that pose clever questions about advertising tropes. In the film, he approaches people in wet markets, jeepneys, and parks to ask them these thought-provoking questions but none of the people seem to have a clear-cut answer. 

In the film, Armando spewed questions to the public like, ‘Why do commercials show menstruation blood in blue color?’, ‘Why isn’t there an ad for rice?’, and ‘Why are little people not shown in ads?’.

The film, and its other versions, garnered millions of organic views on TikTok without any paid media spend.

According to Dionie Tañada, co-founder and creative partner at Leron Leron Sinta, the partnership between Leron Leron Sinta and Armando Loko is a testament to the agency’s capability and commitment of championing the masses and Pinoy grassroots creativity.

In a previous exclusive interview with MARKETECH APAC, the agency noted that their roots of being catered to the masses is what makes them unique in contrast to other agencies.

“We’re the only agency that’s 100% founded by people with an attitude and perspective that came from the grassroots, streets, and rural settings. We’re masa, and we’re proud of it,” they explained, further adding, “Leron Leron Sinta specializes in work that is ‘pang-masa’ (for the masses) and is anchored on creative ideas that help businesses sell and grow,” they stated.

Manila, Philippines Several advertising creatives have set to launch their own independent agency called Leron Leron Sinta. The new agency was founded by Dionie Tañada and Sajid Guerrero, as well as Varge Pollins Masanque and Joshua Surquia.

The agency’s name is rooted from a popular Filipino folk song of the same name, which tells the tale of a farmer who chose to find another tree to pick fruits after falling over on the first one. For the agency, this represents a metaphor for clients to always choose another agency to work with.

In an exclusive interview with MARKETECH APAC, the new agency described themselves as someone who could foster and champion genuine local grassroots creativity.

“At our core, Leron Leron Sinta is masa (the masses). Our collective grassroots experiences of being one with the masses help us bring out the creativity that is uniquely and truly Pinoy,” the agency said.

Tañada and Guerrero were previously part of the team responsible behind some of most popular local advertising works in recent years, including for RC Cola, GrabUnlimited, Orocan, Julie’s Bakeshop, Mega Tuna, TNT Sim Reg, Cheers, a few successful Netflix titles, amongst others.

For the agency, their former agency has taught them that creative campaign works with passion, and that they intend to bring said spirit to their future clients.

“We were taught to create work with passion. We intend to carry this passion with us and infuse our hearts for the masses. Our creative partners, Dionie and Sajid, are both master storytellers. With their ability to tell stories in an unignorable way, Leron Leron Sinta aims to tell brand stories that not only elevate the brand but also inspire consumers and ultimately drive sales,” they further added.

Being a new independent agency, MARKETECH APAC asked: what’s unique about them compared to local arm of larger ad agencies?

“We’re the only agency that’s 100% founded by people with an attitude and perspective that came from the grassroots, streets, and rural settings. We’re masa, and we’re proud of it,” they explained, further adding, “Leron Leron Sinta specializes in work that is ‘pang-masa’ (for the masses) and is anchored on creative ideas that help businesses sell and grow.”

As they open their doors for future work, they assure future clients that their populace familiarity gives them an advantage to also include them on their future campaigns.

“A more involved market, especially the masses. Being part of the masa gives us an edge in involving these people in creating campaigns. Just like the farmers in the folk song ‘Leron Leron Sinta’, we will channel our relentless spirit in pursuing brave ideas that solve our client’s marketing and advertising problems,” they concluded.