In an industry dominated by giants, this Filipino company is making a difference
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — For the longest time, the advertising industry has been dominated by multinational players — all boasting of big brands in their long list of clients. Think of the most remarkable — or in this age of technology — “viral” advertisement piece; chances are, it was created by a big agency. Filipino company is making waves in this competitive field, however, proving that relatively smaller players can perform at par with their bigger counterparts.
Established in 2009, Seven A.D. is one of the fastest-growing agencies in the country in terms of revenue expansion and profitability today. It boasts of a portfolio that includes the biggest and most dynamic brand names in the country – a far cry from the novice firm that, less than a decade ago, held meetings in its partners’ homes or in coffee shops and restaurants in BGC, so that the ragtag team could get free Wi-Fi.
Seven A.D.’s Awards Hall
Recognized as “Independent AOY” for five years in a row, the company creates campaigns that permeate pop culture and leave a lasting impression in the minds of the consumer.\
Teeny Gonzales, chief executive officer and chief creative officer, Seven A.D.
Teeny Gonzales, the CEO and the chief creative officer, calls the agency’s founding members “accidental entrepreneurs,” who simply made the most out of circumstance, helped in part by divine intervention. The company was the brainchild of seven individuals who had solid backgrounds in advertising, hence its name.
The founders, all alumni of McCann and DDB, were invited to set up an agency, but things did not pan out. Instead of dropping the idea, the seven decided to go on with the plan, and have not looked back since then.
Russ Molina, Executive Creative Director, Seven A.D.
“What fueled our courage was our history of producing pop hits in the past,” Seven A.D. Executive Creative Director Russ Molina shared. McDonald’s “Burger! Burger!”, Biogesic’s “Ingat”, Sprite’s “Magpakatotoo Ka” were just some of the campaigns that went viral back in the days when the term "viral" was unheard of as marketing jargon. The group knew they can replicate their successes.
Starting out, of course, came with its corresponding challenges, as the group struggled with their ignorance of the financial and legal aspects of running a business. The idea of an independent agency was also quite new back then, and there was no road map that they could follow.
Squatting in each other’s homes, dressed in shorts and slippers, while waiting for American Idol to come on TV, the seven decided they would make their accidental venture work—even having a visioning series with an external facilitator to ensure that they had their foundation right. “As entrepreneurs, we never stop learning, and we need to learn everything,” Molina said.
Seven A.D.’s first big break came by way of PSBank, their very first client. Unfazed by the fact that they had no credit history, no physical office, and no institutional credentials, Seven A.D. pitched a campaign that used humor to engage the audience—a risky move, considering that banks typically went for conventional approaches in advertising. As it happened, as soon as the PSBank president saw the merit of their approach, Seven A.D. clinched its first account, an account it still nurtures to this day.
Seven A.D. later won the Resorts World account, a huge campaign that created the iconic Resorts World Manila whisper—calling attention to the amazing capabilities of a start-up. The URC snacks campaign followed, and soon after, Convergys, then the largest BPO firm in the country.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Today, Seven A.D. is among the most dynamic players in the advertising industry, handling 38 brands. Its roster of employees has reached 51, and it now has a comfortable office at BGC where its people no longer have to mooch off anyone’s Wi-Fi. But the company is still guided by the spirit of a start-up agency as it continues to learn, experiment, and continuously evolve.
Amid the fierce competition in the industry, Seven A.D. holds its ground with authentic and patok (popular) campaigns that turn on the Filipino audience. Its core competence is utilizing knowledge of Filipino pop culture to uniquely promote brands in our campaigns.
Tey San Diego, chief operating officer and head of strategy, Seven A.D.
"For Seven A.D., the priority is to build the brand and engage the audience so that they will be loyal to the brand. If we win an award in the process, then maganda, but that will never be our goal,” Tey San Diego, chief operating officer and head of strategy, said.
One of the advantages of an indie set-up is the flexibility and speed with which people move in the organization. Without the bureaucracy and silos commonly found in large multinationals, Seven A.D. is not burdened by long approvals, tedious business processes, and unnecessary red tape. Regardless of position, its people can field any questions posed by clients, whether these be strategic, creative, or tactical.
The Seven A.D. Team
Further setting Seven A.D. apart is the casual vibe that makes it easy for everyone to interact freely and learn from each other, allowing everyone from fresh graduates to senior management to evolve at breakneck speed. Seven A.D. even has Virtual Fridays, when people are encouraged to work from home so that they could spend more time with their families and escape the Friday traffic, which actually makes them more productive.
This, of course, is supplemented by a series of mentoring programs that aim to help Seven A.D. employees grow professionally and personally.
As the agency celebrates its tenth anniversary, the agency’s leadership team contemplated on their journey and envisioned how they see the company growing in the future.
Seven A.D.’s management committee
Gonzales said she is most grateful for the opportunity to nurture and grow with the people who make up Seven A.D., and the opportunities that this has made possible. “You think of how to help people and make them grow, and in the process, you evolve as well,” she says.
Molina, meanwhile, appreciates that the agency is able to extend its help to others by guiding small and medium-sized businesses in their advertising needs through its advocacy program “Small Help Small,” which otherwise, would not have been a priority if he was still an employee working in another company. For instance, the agency helps Adarna Publishing promote literacy at the grassroots level.
In the next five to ten years he would like to leave an impact in the country through simple efforts like this. “We are a big fan of our country and we want to help it. Mahirap man mahalin pero gusto nating mahalin diba? We still want to help in our own little way as an advertising agency,” he says.
Teeny likens this to the idea of having immense independence in leading an indie agency. “We have a lot of freedom and power, and it includes a huge responsibility. The buck stops with us when it comes to steering this whole agency,” Teeny says. Even though the final decision comes from her as the CEO, she is grateful that she always hears Gonzales and Molina’s perspectives as leaders. They can bounce ideas off one another and decide as a team. She added, “So that's a luxury because I do not think every agency enjoys that kind of freedom.”
Gonzales is thankful for the clients who have entrusted their brands to Seven A.D., especially those who decided to work with them when they did not even have any credentials to present. “It was really miraculous. PS Bank and Resorts World jump started our journey in the industry and they helped us accumulate the expertise and credentials that attracted bigger accounts,” Gonzales said. Eventually, URC Snacks and its other brands decided to move accounts to the agency. Other subsidiaries of the conglomerate like Cebu Pacific were also given to Seven A.D.
“Our perspective on clients changed when we started this. When you’re an employee, you sort of protect your work and you consider yourself as the advertising expert over your client. But now, there are a lot of collaborations with clients and by listening to them, we understand where they’re coming from. We value each other as partners in their business,” Molina said.
Without the faith of their clients, and the assistance of financial and business consultants, the ragtag accidental entrepreneurs would not have succeeded and grown Seven A.D. exponentially in a span of just ten years.