“Ready, Set, Row!” Seminar Paddles to Victory at PUP Bulwagang Balagtas

Aiming to provide student participants with deeper insight into the dynamic collaboration between advertising clients and agencies, BAPR S1NAGTALA hosted “Ready, Set, Row!: Staying In Sync for Bigger Waves and Bigger Wins” as part of the 21st AdCongress. The seminar took place last February 4 at Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) Bulwagang Balagtas.

The event featured two esteemed speakers: Ms. Jenifer Sario-Perey, Marketing Communications Senior Supervisor at Yamaha Motor Philippines, and Mr. Wacky Torres, Creative Director at Dentsu Creative Philippines. Their discussions shed light on the intricate yet essential partnership between brands and agencies in crafting impactful campaigns.

Ms. Sario-Perey underscored the importance of alignment between clients and agencies in achieving marketing success. She highlighted that a strong client-agency relationship is built on trust, transparency, clear communication, and well-defined objectives. She also stressed the value of a well-structured creative brief, describing it as the foundation of any successful advertising project. According to her, a strong brief acts as a roadmap, ensuring clarity in objectives, target audience, and overall direction for the creative team. She concluded her talk with a key takeaway: “Great campaigns don’t happen in isolation. When clients and agencies share a vision, they create not just results, but lasting success.”

Mr. Wacky Torres took a different approach, offering a thought-provoking discussion on how embracing the "boring" aspects of work can lead to creative breakthroughs. He explained that the more mundane a task seems, the greater the opportunity to make it engaging and unexpected. He illustrated this point with the PayMaya tutorial campaign, which transformed an ordinary instructional video into an engaging ad by shifting the focus to scammers rather than merchants. He also emphasized the importance of taking ownership of a client’s challenges, even if they fall outside one's direct responsibilities. He shared how his team turned a viral meme about a conditioner into a creative opportunity that helped win over a new client.

Following Mr. Torres' talk, an insightful panel discussion allowed attendees to engage with both speakers, raising questions and seeking further clarifications. This segment reinforced the reality that disagreements between clients and agencies are a natural part of the creative process. While differing ideas and perspectives may arise, open communication ensures alignment, ultimately leading to effective and authentic campaigns to the brand’s identity and goals.

The seminar attracted an impressive 342 attendees, including students from various universities, organizations, and members of the media, all eager to gain industry insights from distinguished professionals on both the client and agency sides. "Ready, Set, Row!" showcased how strong partnerships, creative thinking, and meticulous attention to detail serve as key drivers of success in the ever-evolving advertising landscape.