The Philippine Online Chronicles

When going down EDSA, try playing the Celebrity Spotting game – point out as many celebrities as you can see on the road. From SM North to the end of the MRT station, it is easy for the gamers to rack up a shared fifty sightings. Fifty, you may think, seems like an exaggerated number. It isn’t. There are celebrities on billboards. There are celebrities on buses. There are celebrities on MRT banners. There are celebrities on roadside store signages. There are celebrities on huge tarpaulins plastered against malls. Since the advertisements that feature the celebrities are often current, you can more or less gauge who’s the hot celebrity of the moment. If Hollywood has its Walk of Fame, Manila has EDSA, the Highway of the Stars!

Commuters on Celebrities

Delivering a brand’s message at a glance is a tough task for any advertiser who wants to put up an ad along EDSA. One, there is a lot of advertising clutter on the road. Two, their target consumers are almost always in motion. Three, they may not be looking out the road at all. The target consumer may be concentrating on his driving or sleeping in an FX. Putting up an ad on EDSA could be a tricky investment, but a good one if executed brilliantly.

Using images more than words may seem the quickest and most effective way of communicating to consumers in motion. Ads along busy highways like EDSA need a catchy and commanding line, or a strong, commanding visual to get noticed by commuters. A celebrity may then be just the device they need.

“Boring po sa FX, so tumitingin lang ako sa daan,” shares Gerald, a 23-year-old teacher who takes the bus to work. “Minsan napapansin ko yun mga billboard, minsan hindi. Pero pag maganda po, pag may artista na maganda, tinitingnan ko.”

Tala, a 30-year-old account executive who drives to work every morning shares that it is through billboards that she learns about new products, often from those endorsed by eye-catching celebrities. “I don’t watch a lot of TV, so I don’t see commercials. I learn about new products through my friends or when I’m driving down EDSA and I see the ads on the road… the celebrity ones I remember more because they’re usually half-naked. Haha!”

An ad along EDSA could also be a testament to how big a star a celebrity is -- the more billboards, the bigger the stars, or the bigger the billboard, the bigger his star shines! “Big time na si Vice Ganda, nakita ko sa may Quezon Ave. station ng MRT na may show pala siya sa Araneta. Tapos sa may Cubao may nakalagay sa building na Calayan model pala siya. Dala-dalawa na ang mukha sa EDSA!,” reflects Joseph, a 21-year-old graphic designer.

“Yah dami talaga billboard at endorsements ni Chard and he deserves it,” posts richel^C.G on a Richard Gutierrez thread in PinoyExchange.

Oftentimes, it is the celebrities before the product being advertised that catch the attention of the commuter. Afterwards, the brand can tell its story. “I saw a Dingdong and Marian picture on a truck. Akala ko movie yun pala nag-e-endorse sila ng corned tuna,” recalls Tala. The advertiser should just make sure that the celebrity doesn’t eclipse its brand!

Engaging celebrity billboards make for conversation fodder during office lunch breaks among colleagues or even in real-time information networks like Twitter.

loveldelosreyes i saw @annecurtissmith 's billboard at EDSA. i loved it.she looks soo hot:))

UlanDG is it me or is christian bautista looking real hot in his bench billboard at EDSA?

Celebrities make credible endorsers, and what better way to target the mobile consumer than a celebrity-centric ad on the road?

Celebrity Distractions

When can celebrity advertisements go awry? When you’re on the road, it’s when there’s too much skin exposed. The more skin revealed, the greater the distraction to the commuter.

According to rules and regulations on signs and signboard structures found on the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) website, “signs shall display or convey only messages or visuals that conform to public decency and good taste.” In 2009, the DPWH took down several billboards, prioritizing the ones that displayed “lewd pictures or designs.” A billboard of a half-naked Piolo Pascual endorsing coffee was one of them.

“Actually hindi ko naman pinapansin yun mga billboard and posters na yan eh. Pero sino naman hindi papansin kay Derek Ramsey na topless diba? He’d catch the eye of anyone on the road!,” muses Tintin, a 25-year-old bank teller.

“Di pwede sa mainstream ang billboard ni Gel (Angel Locsin),” humors annalizaballest on a chat forum, “kasi baka magbuhol buhol at magkabanggan sa EDSA sa kakatingala sa billboards nya.. ha ha ha!” Angel Locsin was chosen as 2009’s  “hottest billboard poser” at last year’s Style Bible Awards, an event organized by entertainment and style website Stylebible.ph.

“I drive EDSA daily and sometimes the billboards are way too distracting,” posts Mree on a discussion about a Dingdong Dantes EDSA ad.

If the structural safety of billboards is already a concern, considering the degree of skin a celebrity exposes can make for a double concern!  But while these racy ads may not appeal to a broad demographic, they will definitely be talked about.

Entertainment on the Road

It’s easy to understand why celebrities are the stars of EDSA. To the advertiser, they’re a good way of portraying a brand’s message, or conveying a brand’s personality. Celebrities lend their credibility and their image to products, which makes it easier for consumers to gauge whether the brand is for them or not. At a glance, consumers can understand a brand’s story. To the celebrity, it could be a measure of how big their star in show business is. To the consumer, it’s a good way to get to know a brand. More often than not though, spotting the newest celebrity ads while riding down EDSA, the highway of the stars, is a good way to keep themselves amused and entertained. Try playing the Celebrity Spotting game. For sure you’ll make up to fifty points, if not more!

Photos by the author.

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