Philippines – MullenLowe TREYNA (MLT) has officially acquired the full digital advertising business of digital creative agency Xiklab Digital, inclusive of its client roster and key talent.

The acquisition of Xiklab Digital aims to boost the agency’s services with expertise in digital strategy, performance marketing, and data-informed creativity.

Xiklab Digital is MullenLowe TREYNA’s third successful acquisition, following its joint venture with Quiddity Usability Labs in 2022.

The agency’s first strategic acquisition was ARC Public Relations in 2018, resulting in 30% year-on-year growth. Its succeeding acquisition of Quiddity added UI/UX, accessibility in design, and more to its roster of services.

MLT’s prior acquisition experience meant that the transition was completed in time for the new year, opening in 2024 with a significant expansion to its service offerings.

Mike Trillana, chairman and CEO of MullenLowe TREYNA, said, “We’ve nearly doubled in number of people since 2020. More importantly, we’ve multiplied the skill sets the agency group can bring to a client challenge while still believing in the power of breakthrough ideas in a complex landscape.”

Also speaking on the acquisition, Bingo Soriano, senior commercial adviser at MLT, said, “Current and future clients trust us to discover creative opportunities as we build their brands’ relationships with consumers. We’re excited to have all this potential for synergy in the services we offer and look forward to being part of the MullenLowe TREYNA group.”

Manila, Philippines – MullenLowe TREYNA is celebrating its 45th anniversary with significant personnel changes across the board. 

Viboy Palillo has been promoted to the position of chief strategy officer for the MLT Group, following more than a decade of leadership within the agency’s strategic planning team. Meanwhile, Sachi Iwasaki is promoted to the position of account director. She has a track record of producing projects for clients such as Surf, 7-Eleven, and Axe.

Nina Romero and Krystel Ibaez have been promoted to senior copywriter and senior art director. They are known for their work on Lucky Me, Intermed, and Closeup, among other projects.

MullenLowe TREYNA is a few full-service network agencies in the nation, and is strengthening its finance and content production teams by promoting key personnel. At Paradigm, JL Marfori was promoted to the position of senior lead multimedia artist. Meanwhile, Jobelle Llanita has assumed the position of associate finance manager.

The MullenLowe MARC PR division has made the most promotions this year, following a string of organic and new business growth for clients like Galderma Consumer and Aesthetic lines, FWD Life Insurance, Unilever, and the Internet and Mobile Marketing Association of the Philippines, as well as recognition in local and regional award shows.

Moreover, Gerald Lim has been promoted to head of accounts, with Alyssa Dizon now serving as account director under his supervision. Jean Sanchez has been appointed as operations supervisor.

The MARC media relations team has announced new appointments, with Iris Del Fierro assuming the lead position as head of media relations. Joining her in a promotion is Nikka Ramos, who is now in her new role as senior media relations manager.

Speaking about the 45th anniversary and the appointments, Mike Trillana, chairman and CEO of MullenLowe TREYNA group, said, “We are extremely proud to see homegrown talent taking up leadership roles in the agency. It reflects the same commitment to excellence that we’ve always brought our clients for over 45 years.” 

Manila, Philippines – Integrated marketing agency MullenLowe TREYNA has announced adding new business accounts, which comes from its extensive product lineup: integrated creative solutions, strategic narrative, user research and experience, PR, and activation.

Qairos, the company under MullenLowe TREYNA’s operations –made through a joint venture with Quiddity Usability Labs –nabbed the user research, experience design, and development duties on telco DITO Telecommunity; Philip Morris’s local subsidiary PMFTC; Nextbank, a cloud-based banking SaaS provider; and RS2, a global payment platform for credit card clients and merchants.

Denise Haak, CEO of Qairos, said, “Winning our clients’ trust in a competitive environment is crucial. I’m glad even global clients like RS2 can see the value and expertise we bring to the table.”

Meanwhile, parent agency MullenLowe TREYNA won the creative relaunch duties on local financial services M. Lhuillier, and projects with brandy brand Emperador Light and e-sports company Mineski Global. After the success of COMELEC’s ‘Magparehistro Ka’ campaign, Google has also awarded business to the agency without a pitch.

Mike Trillana, chairman and CEO of MullenLowe TREYNA Group, commented, “Getting new clients on board isn’t only about the ideas, it’s about the people you get to work with. We committed to a hybrid setup early in 2022, but we also took steps to ensure that we could sustain the elements of a winning agency culture. This is proof that looking after your people brings in the business, and makes business better for our clients.”

Manila, Philippines — Filipinos are notorious for one quirk; they are on time on their own time. The Filipino behaviour of being late is so famous that the term ‘Filipino Time’ has been coined to call the phenomenon. Due to this, 7-Eleven, the popular convenience store, has collaborated with advertising agency MullenLowe Treyna to highlight this lowlight in their stores.

7-Eleven’s latest campaign entitled ‘7-Eleven Minutes Late’ is a playful rejoinder to the concept of ‘Filipino Time,’ a cultural phenomenon of always arriving past the agreed meeting time. The series from MullenLowe Treyna features popular excuses—from traffic jams to train delays—often texted by those who are running late, yet still have the audacity to stop for an iced coffee anyway.

Placement is the series’ biggest irony. They are displayed in 7-Eleven—the country’s largest convenience store chain, and a favourite stopover for those who are running late for work.

One image shows, “MRT Na! Huhu,” from a texter presumably on the train. Another reads, “Huhu. EDSA Na!” from a texter stuck in traffic on EDSA. EDSA is the main thoroughfare, notorious for heavy traffic. The next one, “Lapit na” implies that they are close to the office, but could conceivably be anywhere, even getting a soda and a doughnut in 7-Eleven.

Whatever the excuse may be, 7-Eleven has enough of them hanging around their stores for Pinoys to pick from or for workmates to poke fun at when they see it.

Philippines — The MullenLowe TREYNA Group has unveiled their newest offering, ViVYD. ViVYD is a feature-rich, Filipino-built platform for hybrid experiences that showcases advanced options for staging and customization for any event and audience.

The platform is a solution for hybrid experience creators and organizers who are eager to create effective offline and online venues for their conferences, brand-led events, trade and B2B gatherings, employee get-togethers, and more.

Organizers have the ability to choose between self-serve or managed services, including the production team, the ease of use of the backend event management system, customizable login levels for different types of attendees, and flexible skinning and branding throughout. Audiences can view virtual watch rooms, manage their schedules with an interactive calendar that updates in real-time, engage with one another through in-event community chats, and express their sentiments live through applause and reaction bar.

ViVYD officially premiered in October 2021 at IMMAP Digicon, the Philippines’ largest digital marketing conference, where Denise Haak, CEO of Qairos, said that they were thrilled to see ViVYD at work in front of over 2,000 attendees, with world-class speakers such as Adam Grant, Bretman Rock, Professor Scott Galloway.

“And now, as part of the MullenLowe TREYNA Group, ViVYD also means access to hybrid experts such as online platform managers and event managers, so it truly is a one-stop suite of solutions,” Haak said.

Philippines — Integrated marketing company in the Philippines, MullenLowe TREYNA, has unveiled its hybrid workspace and setup this February in the middle of softened social restrictions. According to the agency, by integrating learnings across different disciplines and work styles, the group prioritises results and culture-building as it rethinks a better way of working.

Vital to the renovation project, Mel Jimenez, client services director for MullenLowe TREYNA, commented on the purpose of creating a tranquil workplace, saying that work that requires focus and deep thinking can be done at home or anywhere. Jimenez adds that there’s nothing like in-person brainstorming to generate creative sparks and inspire lively discussion.

Mike Trillana, chairman and CEO of MullenLowe TREYNA, commented, “We found a great partner in One/Zero Design. They worked closely with us to make sure the space could accommodate meetings big and small, and be reconfigured easily, with modular partitions and mixed-use areas. And because we went for a hotdesk system, no one has to look far to find a power outlet.”

Meanwhile, Arts Serrano, founder of One/Zero Design Co, shared, “When the initial idea of the space was presented to our studio, there was a particular attention to designing the office as a ‘social anchor’. The world has adapted to work from anywhere, but maintaining a strong office culture is a priority for Mullenlowe TREYNA.”

Simultaneously, Abi Aquino, chief creative officer of MullenLowe TREYNA, disclosed the importance of a fun workplace, saying, “Most importantly, we wanted The Ink Bar back. Being able to decompress and have fun together is what many of us missed while working from home. Those moments go a long way in making the day-to-day feel just that much lighter.”

According to the agency, hygiene and health considerations were top of mind in developing the new workspace. The open space design encourages ventilation, and air purifiers and sanitizing stations are appropriately placed throughout the newly-renovated office. Online booking and scheduling ensure that the space can work at different occupancy levels as the situation requires.

Recently, MullenLowe TREYNA also unveiled a series of key senior promotions.

Philippines — Philippines-based MullenLowe TREYNA, a subsidiary of global integrated marketing communications network MullenLowe Group headquartered in the United Kingdom, has announced a series of key promotions in their business, public relations, executive, and leadership divisions.

Both Raya Beron and Stephanie Velasco are appointed as senior business managers. Meanwhile, Kathryn Nadela, with her strong experience in regionally-led brands, steps up to be the new business unit director. In recognition of key business unit growth, the agency also promotes Mel Jimenez to client services director role, now alongside Aimee Sarmiento, who continues in the same role for her own brands.

The continuing growth in the group’s PR division under MullenLowe MARC also prompts key promotions, with Aly Dizon moving up to senior account manager, and PR strategist, subsequently, with Joel Quizon elevated to business unit director.

Roman Olivarez, whose creative leadership has moved the needle for APAC-led brands such as Knorr, Surf, and Rexona, and has been recognized in local and international award shows, has been appointed to executive creative director. He will report to chief creative officer Abi Aquino, whose role expands to the group.

In addition, Raffy Bariso is also elevated to a group role, from executive director of technology and platform services to chief synergy officer. Lastly, Vanessa Julian is also elevated to overall head of HR.

On the appointments, Mike Trillana, chairman and CEO, said, “We’re one of the few agency groups in the Philippines that can legitimately deliver truly integrated solutions, powered by creativity. This recent set of promotions shows our continuing commitment to the growth of our talent and to our client’s business’.’’

Manila, Philippines – As the Philippines gears towards the upcoming national elections come May 2022, the country’s Commission on Elections (COMELEC) has announced that they have surpassed their voter registration target, adding 5.4 million new registered voters. Part of that milestone is attributed to the commission’s recent campaign, which featured the ‘ghosts’ of well-known Philippine national heroes.

The campaign, called ‘MagparehistroKa! (vernacular for ‘Register Now!’), is conceptualized alongside creative agency MullenLowe TREYNA. The campaign is encapsulated in an interactive website, featuring the ‘ghosts’ of the country’s national heroes such as Dr. Jose Rizal, Melchora Aquino, Andres Bonifacio and Apolinario Mabini.

These ‘ghosts’ narrated their sacrifices for the country and paved the way for democracy, and then playfully urged netizens into completing their registration or else ‘something happens’.

Another layer of personalization within the campaign is the utilization of Google Maps, which helps registrants locate the nearest COMELEC office of the election officers (OEOs) or satellite registration sites from their location.

Part of the interactive website, the ‘heroes’ also reminds new registrants what to bring to the registration as well as the proper health and social protocols they must follow on the day The site also directs visitors to COMELEC’s iRehistro site where they can accomplish required details and complete their registration. 

Speaking about the campaign rollout, James Jimenez, spokesperson and director at COMELEC said, “It became our main goal to persuade these young Filipinos to register without patronizing or intimidating them. They are next in line to build the nation in the future, and giving them an opportunity to decide for the country will benefit everyone.”

As a final push when COMELEC extended voter registration until the end of October, special OPM playlists were also launched at Spotify and YouTube Music that registrants can listen to during long waiting periods at the registration sites. Listeners can choose from three OPM playlists ranging from rock anthems to girl power tunes and mellow ballads.

Local entertainment personas such as Alden Richards, Bianca Gonzalez-Intal, and Jasmine Curtis-Smith who saw the social posts from the Twitter accounts of Google Philippines and COMELEC, also helped in promoting the site.

“These results are truly overwhelming because [one] it went past our initial targets, and [two] now more young Filipinos will be involved and participate in the elections for the first time,” Jimenez concluded.

Philippines – Quiddity Usability Labs, the UX and UI consultancy firm based in the Philippines, has partnered with integrated marketing communications agency MullenLoweTREYNA, to launch its new joint venture, Qairos.

In August this year, MullenLoweTREYNA announced its acquisition of a controlling interest in Quiddity Usability Labs. Under the binding terms of the agreement, Quiddity’s UX/UX expertise will complement MullenLoweTREYNA’s hyper bundled business solutions.

The JV was officially launched on 21 October 2021, and the name takes inspiration from the Greek word Kairos, which translates to ‘right time for the opportunity’.

Qairos aims to create human-kind experiences that are not only usable but also delightful. It also seeks to improve overall experiences through designing and running experiments to solve problems. In addition, the company will be offering services that encompass user experience, customer experience, accessibility, and software development.

Denise Haak, Qairos’ chief executive officer, stated, ”This new joint venture company propels us to reach a larger world of users in continuing to help make things better, one usable product at a time.”

Qairos has recently launched a proprietary Virtual Conference Platform that was used in IMMAP’s DigiconPop 2021, a virtual conference held last 11 to 15 October this year, featuring global keynote speakers and renowned experts.

Manila, Philippines – The integrated marketing communications agency in the Philippines, MullenLowe TREYNA, has announced its acquisition of a controlling interest at UX and UI company Quiddity Usability Labs. The new joint venture from this new move will be called Qairos, Inc.

Under the binding terms of the agreement, Quiddity will be winding down in September 2021 as Qairos will be scheduled to formally begin operations by October 2021.

The recent development adds UX/UI expertise to complement MullenLowe TREYNA’s hyper bundled business solutions, which has rapidly grown in recent years with similar expansions in PR and digital communications. 

Moreover, the two companies will be combining their roster of clients, which includes brands across several industries like FMCGs, finance, e-commerce, and pharmaceuticals, as well as travel, and telecommunications, among others.

Mike Trillana, MullenLowe TREYNA’s CEO and chairman, commented that the move is their biggest M&A activity to date, and they could not be any more excited with this partnership.

“The UX/UI capabilities of Quiddity are the best-in-its class in the country. Denise Haak, Vanessa Julian, and the team are kindred spirits, and we all buy into The Challenger Mentality as a way of life. This brings us one step closer to our vision of being our client’s preferred Creative Business Solutions partner,” said Trillana. 

Meanwhile, Denise Haak, the president and CEO at Qairos Inc, believes that partnering with MullenLowe TREYNA will surely propel them to a larger world of users, helping make things better, one usable product at a time, and they cannot be more excited for this partnership. 

Leigh Reyes, MullenLowe TREYNA’s chairman emeritus, said, “As technology becomes even more present in our daily lives, creativity and innovation are key to humanizing not only communication but even business vision and strategy and product development. I am thrilled to be part of this new adventure.”

MullenLowe TREYNA said that Qairos Inc’s new board will include Mike Trillana as the chairman, Mehrdad Jamshidi as the chief financial officer, and Leigh Reyes.

In October 2020, MullenLowe was rebranded to MullenLowe TREYNA, which came after Interpublic Group of Company’s (IPG) local shareholders bought shares in Mullenlowe Philippines’ holding company Treyna Holdings Inc.