Tag: National Book Store

Philippines – Local retail company National Book Store has pulled out money envelopes from its ‘election materials essentials’ collection following a request from the Philippines Commission on Elections (COMELEC), according to a report from the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

National Book Store president and CEO Adrian Ramos has assured COMELEC in a letter that the order to eliminate coin and small money envelopes in the said category has been disseminated to all of its branches nationwide.

Ramos’ letter read, “While we understand and appreciate your point that small money/coin envelopes might be used in illegal activities such as vote-buying during election season, we assure your good office that there was no malice nor any ill-intention on our part to attribute the marketing and use of the said envelopes to vote-buying.”

He said National Book Store remains compliant with COMELEC’s rules and is “supportive of its programs.”

COMELEC’s request letter, signed by chairman George Erwin Garcia, cited the “in-store marketing strategy” as potentially spreading the idea of vote buying as a norm.

Though acknowledging that the envelopes can be used for purposes such as payments for watchers and suppliers, COMELEC sought a “corrective action” to prevent the normalisation of vote buying.

“We do not wish to interfere on how National Book Store conducts its business, but we also worry that impressionable children and minors who frequent your stores may be led to believe that the illegal practice of vote buying is societally condoned,” Garcia said.

MARKETECH APAC has reached out to Ramos for more information.

Besides money envelopes, National Book Store’s ‘election materials essentials’ include pens, glue, scissors, and stamp pads.

The 90-day campaign period for the 2025 midterm national elections in the Philippines began on February 11 to May 10, 2025, applying to senatorial candidates and party-list groups.

Meanwhile, candidates for local posts begin their campaign from March 28 until May 10, 2025. The Philippines’ election day is on May 12.

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 – Iconic local bookstore National Book Store has recently faced backlash from netizens after it suggested in a recent tweet a short name change called ‘Nash’, an allude to the rising popularity of ‘conyo’ lingo in the country, or the use of shortened mix of Tagalog and English words in daily conversations.

On September 19, the official Twitter account of NBS posted a tweet saying ‘Call me National, Nash for short’.

Following the tweet, a large majority of local netizens have criticised the proposed name change, with many saying they hope they don’t push said name change.

In addition, the tweet sparked complaints from various netizens complaining about NBS’ services, with some complaining about the store’s lack of school supply amenities, high price mark-up on books sold in physical stores, as well as the poor ventilation and display of several of the bookstore’s branches.

In a response given to Philstar Life, a spokesperson for National Book Store said that the brand’s commitment to providing customers with quality products and service remains unchanged no matter what they name the store.

“Regardless of how they call us – NBS, Natio, or Nash – we remain committed to providing an ideal shopping experience in all of our branches nationwide. We also wish to express our gratitude to all of our customers who returned to their back-to-school shopping at National Book Store, especially after 2 long years without face-to-face classes,” the spokesperson said.

The National Book Store was formally established in 1942 by Socorro Cancio-Ramos and José Ramos. It has 230 branches nationwide, and is the largest bookstore chain in the country.