Just wanted to share with you a few of the popular Filipino TV commercials from the 1970s. I chanced upon them earlier today while video surfing on YouTube.
The first is a Coca-Cola commercial from 1979 that featured a much younger Tito, Vic, and Joey.
The video showed them singing revised cuts from the biggest hits from that year as they promoted a Coca Cola contest. Joey De Leon started off with his version of Sampaguita's "Bonggahan" followed by Tito Sotto doing a revised version of Mike Hanopol's "Jeprox". Lastly, Vic Sotto was shown singing his praises to the number of prizes available to the tune of Freddie Aguilar's hit song "Anak".
How about this Ford Fiera commercial that featured the late movie/tv/radio personality Rod Navarro?
As a utility vehicle, the Ford Fiera was quite popular during the 1970s. Vehicles like the Ford Fiera were then classified as an AUV or "Asian Utility Vehicle". The Fiera's popularity prompted Toyota to respond and introduce the Toyota Tamaraw in 1978. Although the clip on YouTube failed to mention the year this particular commercial came out, my guess is that it could have been from either 1976 or 1977. The above commercial was also one of many that featured Mr. Navarro as product endorser at the height of his popularity as a radio personality in the 1970s.
Has any Filipino gone through life without having tasted MY San's FITA Biscuits? Here's a classic FITA ad from 1976.
I enjoyed FITA as a snack when I was a kid. I found it delicious and enjoyed it more whenever it was accompanied by a cold, tall glass or bottle of Coca-Cola. (That in itself sounded like a commercial, didn't it?) This clip also showed a blue Metro Manila Transit bus. Metro Manila Transit was a government-operated bus line that used to have a large number of buses plying the streets of Metro Manila. This bus line also introduced the air-conditioned and popular "Love Bus" during the mid-1970s.
Another popular tv commercial was this classic Superwheel laundry detergent commercial from 1976 that featured a younger and sexier Marissa Delgado.
This humorous commercial was a spoof on Camelot and it shows "King Arthur" and "Sir Lancelot" vying for the affections of Marissa Delgado's "Guinevere". Unfortunately, the name of the older actress who was also shown on this commercial escapes my memory at the moment. Do any of you remember her? She used to be a regular on TV sitcoms and comedy movies.
Lastly, the following cigarette commercial that featured the Champion brand came out in 1974. Its slogan "Champion sa Lasa. Champion Talaga." was one of the most popular at the time. Given the recent enactment of Republic Act 9211 ("Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003"), advertisements like this on both tv and print media are now history.
It is funny for its silliness and at the same time it is also lamentable that given what we all know now about the health risks posed by smoking, the message this particular tv commercial imparted was quite misguided. How could one be considered a great athlete at the top of his game if he was a heavy smoker at the same time? Do fighting cocks have to smoke Champion cigarettes too to help them triumph over their opponents?
Looking back, these commercials, taken as a whole, provide us with a snapshot on how our people lived at the time through the products they consumed, the music they listened to, and the recreational activities they indulged in. Some may seem funny, ridiculous, or even unbelievable now but to many of us, they reflect a simpler, happier and more innocent time.
53 responses:
A less complicated life indeed... :D
Ang oldest ads na naalala ko yung sa Coke. Much older than that TVJ version. People are setting on a hill holding candles and singing "I's like to teach the world to sing...."
Hay nako, I remember that Love Bus. It used to be the "sosyal" way to travel to the then "in" places in Cubao (Ali Mall) and Makati (Quad, wala pa ang Glorietta noon, hehe) kasi yan pa lang ang air-conditioned bus noon --- except of course for those tourist buses. I recall that nakaistambay sa Escolta ang mga bus na papunta ng Cubao at Makati.
I remember seeing a video of the old Alaska Milk commercial, showing a then ten year old Michael Uytengsu (he's the son of the owner) playing hoops with the Alaska basketball team import... Robinson I think was his name. Diyan nauso yung salitang "Alaskador" hehehehe :-D
ako rin, natutuwang manood ng mga commercial na inabutan ko nung bata pa ko. at natatawa rin ako at naaaliw. tulad ng mga kanta, ang commercials din ay para kang binabalik ka sa nakaraan. =D
Aline,
So true and prices were much lower. :)
Blogusvox,
True. That's one of the earliest commercials I remember too. With a bunch of hippies singing, Coke's slogan at the time was "It's The Real Thing". :)
Rudy,
So true. We used board the Love Bus in Cubao, right by Ali Mall, and take it all the way to Escolta. On Escolta, I remember that it stopped by a Big 20 hamburger place. I loved their burgers. Hehehe :D
Was it Robinson or Cisco Oliver you were referring to? I remember the short dialogue Michael Uytengsu had with him where Oliver asked the kid, "What's that, man??" and where the kid responded, "Alaska, man!" Hahaha
RJ,
Marami kasi tayong naaalala sa mga commercials na iyan. Naalala natin ang mga naging biruan at alaskahan natin ng ating mga barkada dahil lang sa mga slogan nila. :D
Isn't that Lily Miraflor with Marissa Delgado? I'm not sure but I thinks that's her name. She used to be in comdies together with Chuchi and Chichay. He he.
Oh yes, that classic Alaska commercial is being shown on TV these days, paminsan minsan. My nephew saw it once and asked why their basketball shorts were so short! i just laughed it off.
Mon,
Thanks! Yes, that was indeed the late Lily Miraflor. Her face was very familiar but I had a difficult time recalling it. Thanks! :)
Yup, basketball shorts were indeed quite short during the 1960s and 1970s. They evolved into what they are now in the Michael Jordan years in the mid 1980s.
so this is the fita question. i never really liked fita because it was kinda oily. wala kang nakitang sunny orange na commercial sa YT?
as for the rest, i couldn't relate much :p.
my thoughts exactly... simple, happy, innocent... almost like the American pre-JFK assassination era, before the advent of flower power, when thoughts people had were simpler, happier, more innocent...
those were better days
Mari,
Hindi mo gusto ang Fita? Why???? :-(
Sige na nga. I'll try to look for the Sunny Orange commercial para lang sa iyo.
Jet,
Things were cheaper, kids played with other kids in the neighborhood, summers meant learning to swim or ride a bike or enjoy a town fiesta. People were much happier.
those were the days, my friend.:D i remember the Champion ad because i used to sing cigarette jingles in schools as part of a campaign against smoking.:D and of course, Rod Navarro...who wouldn't remember his Standard electric fan ad? Mahangin talaga! Haha
Hi MR Baker! I'll check these out when I get home, but I think I may have seen the ones with TVJ before.
BTW, tit for tat ha kasi I tagged you over at my wordpress. Whenever you have time, okay?
Man, where did you get these gems? Nostalgic talaga :)
One of my favorites was San Miguel beer with the different dialects of ISA PA NGA ! hehe.. that was cool :)
katuwa naman to. wala pa ko masyadong kamalayan ng mga panahong yan.. or wala pa yata kaming tv nun.. :D
ang natatandaan kong commercial ni rod navarro e yung 680 home appliances lalo na yung.. "delivery po mula sa 680 home appliances"
rod: para sa inyong anak..
manong na umakbay sa sexing girl: aba, misis ko ito..
rod: aaay.. sa magiging anak!
alaska commercial si niño muhlach na natatandaan ko..
:D
Luna Miranda,
I loved Rod Navarro's Standard electric fan commercial. I remember that that was where I picked up the term "mahangin" to describe the mayabangs among us. Hehehe :D
Photo Cache,
Sure thing. I'll check your site out. :)
BW,
Wow, I've totally forgotten about those "Isa Pa Nga" San Miguel commercials! Hahaha Thanks for jogging my memory, Bro. :)
I just chanced upon these old commercials on YouTube. There's quite a lot of them out there right now.
Lei,
Nasa YouTube iyang paboritong mong 680 Home Appliances na commercial ni Rod Navarro! I-search mo lang at siguradong makikita mo dahil napanood ko rin iyan last week! :) Nakakatawa nga iyan. Hehehe
weird yung huli, yung about sa cigarettes. ang labo talaga no kahit dati pala sablay na yung ibang commercials pagdating sa truth content.
mahusay!..at marami akong naalala dito sa mga video...
tulad ng liberty milk
i remember yesterday the world was so young ....ito yung bata na sinasayaw nya yung lola nya tapos nung lolo na sya sinayaw naman sya ng apo nya...sarap balikan ng nakaraan!
Prinsesamusang,
True and that was from 1974! It was only early this month, 34 years later, when the government decided to impose a ban on cigarette advertisements on print and on tv.
Ever Villacruz,
Actually the gentleman who played the "lolo" sa commercial na iyon eh biyenan ng kaibigan ko. That gentleman was an advertising executive but he's retired now. He's still around. :)
the ford fiera commercial had so many editing errors. hahaha! (did rod say the fiera can seat 150?)
the fita commercial reminds me of those days when a bus doesn't have to have airconditioning. and women had their eyebrows shaved. well, almost. whatever the era, maganda talaga ang pinay. iyon ang constant.
ang gusto kong makita iyong YC bikini briefs, YC bikini briefs, YC bikini briefs! (nilapastangan iyon minsan sa isang funny episode ng the probe team. hilarious!)
thanks mate, your post stirred up some memories. i remember all the commercials that are in your post (napaghahalata na tuloy ang age natin parekoy ahahaha)
Atticus,
True, most of the buses then were not air-conditioned. Airconditioned buses became the norm some time in the mid-1990s, I think.
Hayaan mo. Hahanapin ko sa YouTube iyong YC Bikini Brief commercial na gusto mo. Hehehe :D
Madbong23,
Oo nga, Pards. Napaghahalata na talaga ang edad natin. :D
the more advanced the world gets, the more everything becomes complicated. sometimes it's hard to catch up :)
remember the la germania and tecnogas commercials? :D
astig yung coca cola. nag eenglish pa silang tatlo. hehehe... astig ng mga discoveries mo ah.
hindi ko na naabutan ito.
Penny Lane,
Unfortunately, the more we use technology to simplify our lives, the more things get complicated it seems. How ironic. :(
Families used to make it on one parent's income. It's quite difficult to do that these days.
Mari,
Yes, I do. :) My parents bought a La Germania on the strength of such commercials. Hehehe
The Dong,
Joey De Leon was a DJ before he joined TVJ. Tito Sotto was an accomplished songwriter. Vic Sotto was also an accomplished songwriter at the time although he started much later than Tito.
My 7yo son watched these ads with me, tawa siya ng tawa :D
I remember the Fita, Champion and Superwheel commercials.
I used to watch Sesame Street, The Electric Company, Isis and Land of the Lost when I was a child :)
Julie
"Families used to make it on one parent's income. It's quite difficult to do that these days."
-->so true. and they don't have the option of retiring earlier than 60 anymore. kelangan kumayod eh.
wala na'ng superwheel ngayon hehehe. a few months ago, there was a countdown as to what is the most popular/favorite pinoy commercials of all time, there was an elizabeth ramsey commercial that made the list and the "isang platitong mani" commercial of san miguel beer, yung sa smb lang yata ang naabutan ko. hehe.
if one is watching the pba games, even boxing, the commercial of Mr. Padilla about a rubbing alcohol is still being shown ("Di lang pampamilya, pang sports pa!"), i remember seeing it first late 80's on the pba, jaworski-fernandez era.
where do people find these things? :) kakatuwa naman.
Once again, you brought me back my youth. Matanong kita, what is the worst commercial so far in your book?
Ako yung mag-ina where the mom is teaching her child the word "Piñakamasarap" and the bulol little boy says "piñarap". Ang dry dry ng commercial na yun and even the quality of the film was not very good.
Oh the Love Bus. I took that one from UE to Marikina. Flat rate - Php1.50 lang. hehe
Hi Julie,
I loved Sesame Street and The Electric Company too when I was a kid. They helped me develop a love for reading.
I just found out na wala na palang Superwheel ngayon. Hehehe Ang tagal ko na talagang wala sa 'Pinas. :(
Thanks for the visit. I'm glad you and your son had fun watching the clips. :)
Zherwin,
I think I remember that Elizabeth Ramsey commercial where I think she played the role of Cleopatra and where she said "Magapatuka na lang ako sa ahas" complete with Visayan accent. Hahaha Is that lady still around?
Buhay pa pala iyong rubbing alcohol commercial ni Sonny Padilla? Sobrang tagal na niyan. Palitan na naman sana nila iyan.
Dr_Clairebear,
I was also surprised to find them on YouTube. I didn't realize that someone had taken the time to compile such commercials. There are many more of them out there. :)
Rolly,
Even though the product became well known for its commercial jingle, I got so sick and tired of the Sunny Orange juice commercial. I always heard it on tv every Sunday.
Plus, as a child, I wasn't too fond of Sundays because I spent a good part of the day cleaning the house. And if the tv was on, I heard that jingle play over and over in the background. I guess I didn't like it because I associated it with a task I had to do but wasn't too fond of.
Penny Lane,
Somehow, one can't help but wonder where our supposedly "better" times will lead us. In spite of all the modern conveniences available to us, we are still more stressed than our parents' generation. Sad, isn't it?
thought it was estrella kuenzler with marissa delgado, but i guess I always get them mixed up. Marissa Delgado is a different story, though. She was one of the bombshells I remember, along with Rossana Ortiz and Merle Fernandez and Gina Pareno in her time. Yeah, those were the times when women were women and not these walking sticks I see on tv nowadays ...
Bambit,
Marissa Delgado, I think, was the first Filipina to pose for Playboy. Although unlike Tetchie Agbayani years later, she (Marissa) only bared her breasts.
I agree with what you said. Those women seemed more confident and exuded a lot more sexuality even if Philippine society was more conservative in those days.
I would also add Daria Ramirez, Elizabeth Oropesa, and Alona Alegre to that list. :)
mega mega mega winner ang collection mo. loved the TVJ coke commercial! hahhah! and rod navarro! sya ba yung sa 680 home appliance center? ;-)
Gandarynako,
Yup, si Rod Navarro din iyong lumabas sa mga 680 Home Appliances na commercial. Pati Standard electric fan eh siya rin ang naging spokesman. He was a very good product pitchman. :)
wow the old times...
coke ads doesnt fail to amaze me even until now. especially those ads during the christmas holidays.
The Islander,
Thanks. Coke ads have always been catchy and reflective of their times. Just by going through the various Coke ads through the years gives one a quick history lesson. :)
Thank you very much for the visit. Much appreciated.
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