PRecious Philippines Marks First Anniversary, Forecasts Over 40% Growth in 2023 on the Back of Strong Client Wins

SINGAPORE/MANILA, PHILIPPINES, 24 July 2023 - PRecious Communications, an award-winning multi-market integrated communications agency, celebrates the first anniversary of PRecious Philippines. Its local team posted incredible growth over the past year, driven by successful partnerships in the Philippine startup and tech spaces alongside major players in the B2B and corporate sectors.

“With its continued economic growth pegged at 6% this 2023, a digital economy that has recently passed the P2 trillion mark, and thriving business ecosystem, the Philippines is one of the most important markets for PRecious as it remains an attractive destination for companies seeking business opportunities, investment potential, and market expansion,” said Lars Voedisch, PRecious Communications’ Managing Director. “As PRecious Philippines celebrates its first anniversary, we are happy to grow along–and be a part of–the continued growth story of the country’s dynamic economy.” 

Since its entry in 2022, PRecious Philippines has built a strong client base across various industries, including venture builders, insurtechs, digital lenders, and more. The growing client list includes the Philippines’ largest venture builder 917Ventures, the world's largest visa outsourcing and technology services specialist for governments and diplomatic missions, VFS Global, regional insurtech Igloo, and the digital banking arm of Union Bank of the Philippines, UnionDigital Bank.

“PRecious Philippines has achieved remarkable growth in just one year, which proves just how its success is a testament to the talent and dedication of the team to consistently go above and beyond to deliver outstanding results for our partners,” said Prayaank Gupta, PRecious Communications’ Vice President for Growth and Innovation. “The Philippines was one of the fastest-growing market entries we’ve had. Its growth greatly contributed to the agency’s 40% growth year-on-year in 2022, particularly in tech, startups, and fincomms. We are optimistic that this will continue as we build stronger relationships with local and international brands.”

Looking Forward to More Success Stories

From a one-person team in June 2022 to now a team of close to ten consultants, PRecious Philippines was able to prove its mastery of the local and regional media landscape and provide strategic counseling that has helped local brands and players get regional traction and establish them as thought leaders not only within the country but across Southeast Asia.

“We established PRecious Communications in the Philippines a year ago be a catalyst and help sustain the growth of the Philippine economy. Seeing the positive impact we've had on the success of our parters, we're proud to say that we've been able to fulfill that mission. As the team embedded itself in our country's thriving startup ecosystem, we were able to support various industries as well,” said Paolo Alba, PRecious Communications’ Philippine Country Lead and Regional Business Director. “This year, we expect to continue growing the business by more than 40% and grow our team by another 50%.”

Bringing Solutions and Services Tailored to Evolving Brand Needs

As companies continue to grow and expand, so do their brand needs and communication requirements. This is why PRecious Philippines is building its capabilities to extend the agency’s Content, Strategy, and Insights (CSI) services alongside its marketing solutions into the market. These content and digital services will help partners strengthen their thought leadership and brand awareness through bylines, white papers, and social media content for owned media, among others.

“As we continue to leverage the team's expertise and capabilities, we aim to replicate our in-market successes and best practices across the region to better serve our partners and offer services that align with their evolving needs and achieve their strategic objectives,” Paolo explained.

As PRecious Philippines celebrates its first anniversary, it continues to deliver outstanding results, drive growth, and forge stronger partnerships. The team looks forward to achieving even greater milestones and providing impactful integrated communications solutions for its clients in the Philippines and across the region.

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About PRecious Communications:

PRecious Communications is an award-winning PR agency specializing in go-to-market strategies and integrated communications for clients across Southeast Asia, including Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, with partners in Asia Pacific. With over 10 years of experience, the agency has delivered impactful results for diverse industries, such as tech, finance, healthcare, and consumer goods. In 2019, PRecious Communications joined the GlobalCom PR Network as its Southeast Asia representative, an association of 80 independent PR agencies in over 100 countries worldwide. Most recently, PRecious Communications bagged Gold for “PR Team of the Year” at the Marketing Interactive PR Awards 2022, and Gold at the 2023 APAC Stevie Awards for "Most Innovative PR Agency of the Year." 

For more information, visit https://www.preciouscomms.com/ or email us at marketing@preciouscomms.com.

Powerful and Independent Women in PR, Advertising and Digital Marketing

Independence Day is just around the corner and what better way to celebrate independence than by empowering yourself by learning from some of the country’s most powerful and independent women in digital marketing and advertising.

These women have shown that not even a pandemic can stop them from staying on top of their game. They have proven to be innovative and truly a leader in their field by showing how adaptable they are to any situation thrown at them, be it a pandemic or the ever-changing times.

Featuring 3 amazing speakers - Miss Amor Maclang (Co-Founder GeiserMaclang), Miss Venus Navalta (CEO of IPG Mediabrands) and Miss Margot Torres (Managing Director of McDonald’s Philippines,) this talk is bound to be a great source of life hacks, amazing work tips, and inspiring stories. Joining our powerhouse cast of speakers is host Miss Issa Litton (Head Trainer, COO of 1Lit Corp) who is a powerful woman herself and one of the most in-demand host in the country.

Amor Maclang is a reputation and brand architect. She leads businesses that make a positive impact on the country. She is also a champion for the plight of farmers and is helping to raise awareness for their plight. She is also co-founder of Geiser Maclang, one of the strongest marketing, PR, communications, and public affairs companies in the Philippines.

Venus Navalta is a highly respected media industry leader, working with the world’s biggest communications companies, winning 9 Media Agency of the Year awards as well as honors from Cannes, Spikes and FOMA. After her second retirement and at age 56, she founded the global company, IPG Mediabrands, in the Philippines and changed her story. Venus is an advocate of the arts and rice sufficiency.

Margot B. Torres is the managing director of one of the country’s leading fast-food chain, McDonald’s. With over 30 years of experience in marketing, communications, and management, Margot is a force to be reckoned with. Margot recently received the CEO Excel Award from International Association of Business Communicators as well as Asia Marketing Federation’s Women Marketer of the Year.

Celebrate Independence Day with Powerful & Independent Women in the world of Digital Marketing & Advertising on June 12, 2020 (2:00PM) organized by PMCM Events Management with CEO & Founder Miss Mys Sandico.

Mys believes that these women make a big difference in any industry they are in and their success stems from a combination of personal drive and ambition. Paired with the full support of their family, friends, and the people they work with, these women create an impact on their work that makes the life of people around them better.

Livestreaming - https://www.facebook.com/pmcmevents/

Raffle Prizes will be given away to viewers after the Q&A so stay tuned until the end of the program.

Metro Manila Billboards Transform into Messages of Strength for Superhero Frontliners

Leading media and creative agency Havas Ortega transformed digital billboards all over Metro Manila otherwise idled by the lockdown into empowering messages of strength for Filipino frontliners. Turning billboards once filled with ads into digital comic books featuring frontliners as superheroes, the agency’s “Frontline Heroes” is a tribute to the Filipinos who brave the dangers of the outside world so the rest of the country can survive inside their homes.

Jos Ortega, CEO of Havas Ortega explained, “Every day our frontliners answer the call of duty, risking their health to take on extraordinary burdens brought about by these extraordinary times. But with the rest of the country in quarantine, they may feel left behind and alone outside. Frontline Heroes is our way of directly expressing our message of strength to the frontliners, cheering them on as they go to work and lifting their spirits as they go home.”

Characters from Frontline Heroes like Commander Doctor (doctors), Power Packners (cashier and supermarket baggers), Kidlat Rider (delivery drivers), Incredible Guard (security guards), Super Nurse (nurses) and Truth Twins (journalists and cameramen) are now being displayed along Metro Manila’s main thoroughfares, raising the morale of our already tired and weary COVID-19 fighters in Alabang, Makati, Mandaluyong, Marikina, Pasig, and Quezon City.
“Hopefully, the empty roads become less a reminder of isolation, more a source of energy and inspiration,” Ortega added.

Havas Ortega urges the public to join the campaign by using #TuloyAngLaban online and tagging frontliners in their personal messages of encouragement and gratitude. Through this, Frontline Heroes can reach frontliners all over the country.

“With the physical, emotional, and mental strength required to do what they do, our frontliners are not just heroes, they are superheroes. But they need our help to keep them going! #TuloyAngLaban is the reaffirmation of support needed to renew our Frontline Heroes’ strength as they continue to fight a long and tiring battle against the pandemic,” emphasized Griffey de Guzman, Associate Creative Director of Havas Creatives.

Frontline Heroes also include Johnny Tor (janitors), Pharma Sis (pharmacists), Kalye Ranger (uniformed personnel), Kusina Titan (restaurant workers), COVID Hunter (lab technicians), Virus Blasters (disinfect crew), Pera Sentinel (bank clerks), Boom Bero (firefighters), and Metro Manong (garbage collectors).

This campaign was developed by Havas Ortega in partnership with billboard companies HDI Admix, Inc., United Neon Advertising, Inc., Summit Outdoor Media, Luneta Advertising, Inc., Full Linkage (FULITECH) Philippines, Inc., the Out Of Home Advertising Association Of the Philippines (OHAAP) and the Outdoor Media Advocacy Group (OMAG).

Follow the Frontline Heroes story on Havas Ortega’s Facebook Page. Join the campaign by using #TuloyAngLaban and #FrontlineHeroesPH on social media.

About Havas Ortega Group

A fully integrated media & communications group that is committed to create a meaningful difference for brands, businesses, and people. Established in 2012, Havas Ortega provides the most comprehensive marketing services and offerings across media, creative, digital, PR and healthcare & wellness disciplines. A village model housed under one roof, while boasting a unique and unparalleled entertainment offering through its partnership with Vivendi. (www.havasortega.com).

From Billboard to Boat to Bronze: Havas Media Ortega gets an accolade at the 2019 Spikes Asia Festival of Creativity

Havas Media Ortega bags a Bronze Award at the 2019 Spikes Asia Festival of Creativity in the Media Category (Ambient Media: Large Scale), for its innovative crisis response to typhoons and floods entitled “Project S.A.V.E”.
The agency pioneered this initiative with Valenzuela City, one of the most flood-prone cities in Manila the capital of the Philippines, with the vision of turning underutilized resources into life-saving devices. This project developed and designed the materials with advice from volunteer first responders, local government officials, and national disaster coordinators.

Project S.A.V.E, which stands for Signage & Adspace Versatile for Emergencies, aims to equip cities with emergency equipment come floods, earthquakes, and other calamities through innovative use of outdoor marketing materials. Billboards, banners, and waiting sheds are turned into detachable disaster-ready boats, life rafts, spineboards, and other disaster response tools using outdoor ad materials from past campaigns, which would otherwise have been thrown away. The idea takes advantage of the easy visibility of outdoor ads. Quick to spot and accessible to the public, residents can quickly remember that these tools are at their disposal should they be needed.

“This year, our battle cry with the Havas Group is to create a meaningful difference to brands, businesses and the lives of the people we work with. We’re honored to have been recognized by Spikes Asia as we continue to help the community in an inventive way that they’re open to,” says Hermie de Leon, Managing Partner of Havas Ortega and CEO of Havas Media Group.

Rommell Garcia, Business Director of Havas Creative who led this project, also shares, "We hope that Project S.A.V.E will inspire the industry and get the momentum going in coming up with ideas that can make a meaningful difference in Filipino lives."
“We are grateful that our long experience with floods has taught us that more access to stretchers, emergency tents, and life rafts preserves lives. We’re grateful that this need was able to be executed creatively and was able to gain recognition in the ASEAN region. We do hope that this can set a new benchmark for the community to respond to crisis swiftly – anytime and anywhere” asserts City Mayor Rex Gatchalian of Valenzuela City.

The long play to Project S.A.V.E is being able to deploy these structures in other towns and municipalities that share the same predicament as Valenzuela.

ABOUT SPIKES ASIA AWARDS

The Spikes Asia Awards is the benchmark by which the region’s creativity is measured. For the past 32 years, since its inception as the Asian Advertising Awards in 1986, it has set the standard for creativity and effectiveness for Asia Pacific’s creative communications industry. The Awards are continually honed and redefined to ensure they reflect current trends in creative communications.

Havas Group Reimagines PR Group with Launch of Red Havas

As creative and media agencies face a near-daily redefinition of their identities and scopes of work in the modern media landscape, public relations agencies in particular are being completely reconstructed. How can PR companies adopt at the pace of today’s lighting-speed multimedia landscape?

Havas Group, with its shared Merged Media strategy, announced that it has rebranded a number of its award-winning PR and social agencies including its Manila office under a new name, Red Havas. Through Merged Media, the micro-network reimagines the way it does PR and drives its agencies to new heights by blending traditional and digital publishing, content, social media, and data in a way that defines the future of PR as a category.

Red Havas’ office in Manila, Philippines is part of leading fully-integrated media and creative agency, Havas Ortega (HVO). Under the tutelage of Business Director Charisse Vilchez, Havas PR Manila will now be Red Havas Philippines, along with other Asia Pacific-based Red Agency networks in Australia, Singapore and Havas PR North America with offices in New York City, New England, Phoenix and Pittsburgh. In addition, Red Havas has rebranded its Havas PR offices in Vietnam and Jakarta, Manchester, Edinburgh and opened a new office in London. The new brand has expansion plans to Japan and South America within 18-24 months.

“Havas Ortega welcomes the rebranding of our PR team to Red Havas. The current team is more than ready to take on the challenge and bring PR to the next level. Red Havas Philippines, together with its passionate and incredible REDsters, will help create our clients’ brand stories through Merged Media,” said HVO Chief Executive Officer Jos Ortega. “I am confident that with Char’s experience working in two strong online brands OLX and Agoda and her training at Red Havas in Australia, we will be able to live up to our ambition of owning Merged Media in the local scene.”

The rebranding coincides with global-led investments into data, content and bespoke insight tools, which will include listening and predictive analytics platforms that will layer in a foretelling media capability not seen before within the industry.

“The guiding light of PR has always been to integrate brands or organizations stories into the daily conversations of the media ecosystem,” said James Wright, global chairman of the Havas PR Collective and global CEO of Red Havas. “PR is one of the most powerful tools that brands can use to connect to audiences, but it’s essential that it integrates seamlessly across content types and sources and operates at the pace, and in the ways, of today’s consumer. With content, social and predictive data at the core, we’ve built a model that merges all of the various media sources and essentially redefines the PR capability entirely.”

Commenting on the global rebranding, Yannick Bollore, CEO and chairman of Havas Group, said: “Red Havas is a new, transformational and unmatched micro agency network that will help redefine PR and its value to clients. Along with the power of Havas Group and the world-class entertainment capabilities we have within Vivendi, the proposition of merged media becomes very interesting. We have big ambitions to develop and invest in this further.”

Red Havas is part of the Havas PR Global Collective, the PR and communications arm of the Havas Group that comprises approximately 40 agencies around the world and more than 1,300 employees. At this stage, there are no plans to rebrand other Havas-owned PR agencies.

About Red Havas

Red Havas is part of the Global Havas PR Global Collective and has offices in Australia (Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney), Philippines (Manila), Singapore, United Kingdom (London and Manchester) and the United States (Pittsburgh, Phoenix, New England and New York City).

For further information, please visit: www.redhavas.com.

About Havas Group

Havas is one of the world’s largest global communications groups. Founded in 1835 in Paris, the Group employs 20,000 people in more than 100 countries. Havas Group is committed to being the world’s best company at creating meaningful differences between people and brands through creativity, media and innovation. Based on a client-centric model across media and creative, Havas Group is the most integrated company in its sector. They operate with three business units (creative, media and healthcare & wellness) within the  Havas Villages all over the world where teams share the same premises, ensuring agility and a seamless experience for clients. #makingbrandsmeaningful

Further information about Havas Group is available on the company’s website: havasgroup.com

Havas Ortega Caps 2018 with Southeast Asia Corporate Communications Person/Team of the Year Win

Receiving the award for the team is Havas Ortega’s Special Projects Director Iea Nepomuceno

After a year of breaking new ground and hard-earned successes, the Havas Ortega Corporate Communications team, led by Chairman and CEO, Jos Ortega, Special Projects Director Iea Nepomuceno and Business Director for Havas PR, Charisse Vilchez, took home the Southeast Asia Corporate Communications Person/Team of the Year Award at Campaign’s Agency of the Year Awards Night last December 13, 2018 in Singapore.

The Southeast Asia Corporate Communications Person/ Team of the Year Award recognizes success in addressing issues related to management, corporate communications, reputation, brand-building, campaign execution, and media relations. The Havas Ortega Corporate Communications Team has earned the award through its highly relevant initiatives implemented in 2018 anchored on Thought Leadership. This has its significant role in raising Havas Ortega’s profile, contributing to the growth of the industry, and developing programs that facilitated great collaboration within the agency.

One of these initiatives is the Vital Healthcare Marketing Conference that was spearheaded by Havas Life, the agency’s marketing health sector. At said conference, 120 senior and mid-level marketing practitioners form the pharmaceutical industry attended and received coverage from the country’s largest news networks and publications. It was also an innovative way to launch a new agency service, creating momentum for the success of the operations of Havas Life.

Another one is a follow up to the success of the Filipino Millennial Codes in 2016 in which Havas Ortega widened the study and developed the Asia Pacific Millennial Codes. Gayia Beyer, Havas Ortega’s Director of Applied Anthropology conducted ethnographic studies in 11 cities and eight countries. This study, with its country-specific millennial codes, won 17 brand assignments in the Asia Pacific for the Havas Group. Through the Havas Ortega Corporate Communications Team, Millennial Codes expanded its application to other categories. The Team arranged for Havas CEO, Jos Ortega, to speak in eight public and corporate conferences in topics concerning millennials, ranging from human resources, education, to sales. The localized content of the Asia Pacific Millennial Codes also resulted in two award-winning documentaries produced with CNN.

“Emerging Shifts in Filipino Consumption Mindsets,” the localized version of the Havas Group Prosumer Report on “The Meaningful Shift,” featured Havas Ortega’s Head of Data and Analytics Philip Tiongson in an exclusive media roundtable with leading broadcast networks and publications. The prosumer report struck a chord and within a week of its roll-out, it generated US$390,000 in PR values.

The Corporate Communications Team was also a key member of the Culture and Talent Development/Management Team, the driver of collaboration and openness in the workplace. Through innovative and even fun programs — such as letting employees take over the company’s Instagram account, a system-wide collaboration day called “Havas Play,” monthly potlucks, and monthly socials called La Ledge Nights to celebrate team members’ birthdays. One of the most significant initiatives of the team was the Havas TALK Mental Health Awareness Program in partnership with In Touch Philippines. This program is helping its employees address the day-to-day challenges as they do agency work. The project has established a 24/7 hotline for all employees, orientation sessions, skill builder talks and subsidized private counseling sessions.

Winning the Southeast Asia Corporate Communications Person/Team of the Year was honorable recognition for all of Havas Ortega’s Corporate Communications Team’s significant contributions in advertising and brand communications industry in the region in just one year.

Havas Ortega Responds to the Call of Digital Transformation and the Innovation Mindset - Jason Drilon to Lead Build and Innovation Team

As the marketing landscape continues to change in the face of new trends and technologies, digital transformation emerges as an essential response to this change. The biggest companies in the country are shaping their acquisitions and strategies to fit a digital, fully integrated future.

Havas Ortega has stepped up to the plate by setting up its own Build & Innovation team, headed by creative technologist Jason Drilon, whose career spans over a decade and a half in providing innovative and creative solutions for some of the largest brands in the world. Drilon’s body of work includes years in BBDO Guerrero, JimenezBasic Advertising, Ogilvy and Mather, and Bates 141.

Drilon previously worked at Havas Ortega between 2011 and 2015 as their Head of User Experience + Technology and Creative Collaborator. He worked in an internal unit, Collab, which integrated several disciplines, including design and technology, to provide innovative and creative ideas for Havas’ brands. During this time, he was instrumental in developing Havas Media APAC's HEARTbot (Havas Engagement-Activated Response Technology Robot), a platform that can connect social media behavior such as likes and hashtags to electronic switches that can turn on lights or activate machines. The project sought to help brands achieve more meaningful connections with their consumers, through engagement and participation.
He was then given the opportunity to work at The LEGO Group in Billund, Denmark, where he stayed for two years as the Lead Content Strategist for LEGO City, LEGO Minifigures, LEGO BOOST and LEGO House. He was in charge of UX design for desktop and mobile, digital content strategies, ideation and production, and digital project management on these brands, cementing his multi-disciplinary expertise in technology, strategy, and creative solutions.

Drilon’s homecoming to Havas Ortega marks the beginning of the agency’s next leap into digital transformation. Heading the Build & Innovation team, he will help provide innovative solutions that leverage the latest technologies and trends in design, and build apps, platforms, and user experiences for Havas Ortega’s clients.

“Innovation is an oft-misused term in the industry that just wants to grasp at anything new. My goal is to provide solutions and strategies that are truly innovative in meaningful ways, which engage with consumers and their needs. I’m happy to be working once more with Havas Ortega and seeing what I can contribute in this digital era. My experience outside the country has certainly given me brand-new perspectives, and I’d like to take this opportunity to give back,” Drilon said of his appointment.

CEO Jos Ortega looks forward to the work of the Build & Innovation team, advancing his vision of the agency providing a truly integrated marketing and communications solution for their clients. “Digital isn’t the future – it’s the present. Through our Build & Innovation team, Havas Ortega will help more brands achieve their business objectives with creative solutions tailored to the digital era.”

Ma. Criselda “Shayne” Garcia Madamba

Ma. Criselda “Shayne” Garcia Madamba is the new Chief Digital Officer of Havas Ortega. She will drive the company’s digital products to meet the needs of their clients as they take the next quantum leap in the digital space.

With her rich experience from media planning to business development and performance marketing, her role at Havas Ortega is to propel all digital operations. She will lead the following pure player brands of the Agency: Socialyse, a digital integrated
Havas Ortega introduces new Chief Digital Officer

social media solution which combines owned, earned, paid and shared social media activities for audiences to be engaged; Affiperf, the programmatic pure player that combines the best of technology with data savvy human expertise to provide solutions; and Ecselis, a business specialized on online performance marketing that aims to increase the possibilities for prospect conversions through tracking and analytics.

Shayne has been in the media business for more than 16 years. Her advertising journey began at Starcom followed by other notable companies in the industry such as Carat, UM, Mediacom, iProspect, and now with Havas Ortega. She has received national and international accolades. She led her former agency to a Silver award for Campaign Asia’s Digital Agency of the Year in 2017. She was also named into the exclusive '40 Under 40 List' in APAC also by Campaign Asia last 2016.

Hermie de Leon, Managing Partner of Havas Ortega and CEO of Havas Media Group says, “Many clients are undergoing massive digital transformations. We need to re-define the role of agencies in the new ecosystem. We brought in Shayne to lead this change.”

Thoughts on her big career move, “My journey with iProspect will always play a huge role in my agency career since it was like home to me for six years.  However, this time I am opening a new chapter in my life and I hope our industry will embrace me with this new adventure.  No words can contain how honored and privileged I am to join Havas Ortega as Chief Digital Officer.  I sincerely thank Vishnu Mohan, Jos Ortega, Hermie de
Havas Ortega introduces new Chief Digital Officer

Leon, and Tonypet Sarmiento for believing in my capabilities. I am more than excited to teach and learn from my team in the long run as there is always something new in the information age.”

Aside from her advertising life, Shayne is also passionate about education. She has spent years teaching in UP Diliman and UP Manila. She is also a regular subject-matter-expert at the Certified Digital Marketer Program and would give several talks in multiple marketing events locally and abroad.

*This is Press Release