Marketing’s best

Congratulatory wishes greeted Century Pacific Food general manager Greg Banzon when he arrived from Paris to receive the Outstanding Achievement in Marketing Management award at the 35th Agora Awards held recently at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza.  

Known as the Superbod in marketing for leading such iconic lifestyle campaigns such as “The Century Superbods,” “No Other Tuna” and “Kita Naman Sa Katawan, Di Ba?,” Greg is in charge of the company’s highly successful global branding and domestic tuna business. He was conferred the top marketing award for his outstanding achievements, which included the fast rise of Century Tuna as a major player in the Middle East, the US and 46 other markets and the successful launch of the Argentina brand in the US. The panel of judges also noted the impressive online campaigns of Century with one campaign generating over 164 million Twitter impressions. 

Greg is also credited for leading the marketing communications aspect of Century Pacific’s Public Listing, which is hailed as one of the most successful IPOs (Initial Public Offering) this year.

Greg dedicated his award to his mother Merced and his children. Winning the award has been a long-time dream and inspiration that motivated him to always pursue excellence in marketing efforts during previous stints with RFM and Johnson & Johnson where he became the youngest ever to be appointed managing director and vice president for marketing in ASEAN. 

In his acceptance speech, Greg thanked his peers for nominating and selecting him for the award, which is given under the auspices of the Philippine Marketing Association, the country’s most prestigious award-giving body for marketing companies and practitioners who have made a difference through marketing innovation and excellence.

Magical Christmas gift shows

The season of gift giving is just around the corner!

That’s why Healthy Options, Wine Story, Bow & Wow and Planet Grapes mounted Christmas gift shows at the E’s Bar Tent of EDSA Shangri-La Manila and the Isabela Ballroom of Makati Shangri-La, Manila. The event venues were both transformed into a magical village complete with holiday trimmings.

The gift shows focused on premium all-natural gifts from healthy stuff, pet products to fine wines. Seen at the gift shows were Marc Nelson, Sabrina Artadi, Bianca King and Rhian Ramos.

This year, Healthy Options decided to impart the magical quality of Christmas as seen through the eyes of children. The one-of-a-kind holiday gift boxes and bags feature the Christmas illustrations of some of the kids from Kythe Foundation.

The Healthy Options’ display area was colorfully decorated with well-loved Christmas characters. “Frosty’s Cool Christmas Box” is laden with light and sumptuous snacks that can best be enjoyed during the cold holiday weather. “Rudolph’s Childhood Favorite” includes fun and classic favorites such as yummy gummy bears, fortune cookies, fruit juices, chocolate bars, and other treats. “Santa’s Snack Selection Christmas Box” can be filled with items ordered a la carte, or pre-packed box with nourishing fiber-packed cereals, natural juices, almond butter, chocolate bars and more.

The “Sugar Plum Fairy Christmas Box” is the ultimate pampering gift that includes massage oil, hair care sets, natural soaps, night cream and other skin care. The “Angel’s Heavenly Feast Christmas Box” is perfect for the sumptuous Noche Buena feast, given quality items like gluten-free and wheat-free pretzels, goji berries, organic pasta, extra virgin olive oil, organic quinoa, and many more.

It also offers a premium holiday gift box fit for royalty — the “Three Kings’ Treasure Box.” A great alternative present is the Christmas Magic gift card available in P500 and P1,000 denominations.

The company also recommends sparkling juices and organic wines like Nuevo Mundo Reserva, Nuevo Mundo Estate and Organic Vintners Rosso.  My mother and sister loved these that they bought several bottles.

Bow & Wow offers all-natural product finds for pet lovers. The Christmas gift show brought attention to how pet owners may have made their pets happy. I bought my French Bulldog Pierre tons of stuff even before the Christmas holidays!

Likewise, Wine Story’s gift display area looked resplendent in gold and silver. Wine Story handpicked four wine sets: “Sparkling and White wines,” “Alsatian wines,” “The Best of Bordeaux” and “New World Napa Valley wines.” On the other hand, awesome “planetary” wine sets from Planet Grapes at reasonable prices got visitors attention as well.

So if you’re on the prowl for unique, functional and impressive yuletide presents, check out Healthy Options, Bow & Wow, Wine Story and Planet Grapes to see the well thought-out holiday gift sets they have laid out and let family, friends and workmates experience a truly magical Christmas.

A time for fine wine

The Château Mouton Rothschild wine dinner held at Wine Story in Serendra, Taguig City served as a rare opportunity to enjoy fantastic wines with French cuisine.

Wine Story founders Romy Sia and Christian Tan welcomed sales director of Château Mouton Rothschild Herve Gouin to Manila. Guests indulged in an exquisite four-course dinner paired with remarkable Château Mouton Rothschild wines.

Gouin introduced the stellar attractions of the evening — the Château Mouton Rothschild wines that paired nicely with the French menu offerings whipped up by chef Cyrille “Ciçou” Soenen. The wonderful aromas and textures of the wines leapt forth from the glass, much to the enjoyment of the guests.

 Château Mouton Rothschild is widely regarded as one of the world’s greatest estates. In 1853, Baron Nathaniel de Rothschild, an English member of the Rothschild family, bought a property in Pauillac called Château Brane-Mouton, which was renamed Château Mouton Rothschild. Baron Philippe de Rothschild eventually assumed the task of running the property. He was determined to make the Château unique and its wine among the best. He was the one who introduced chateau-bottling.

During cocktails, delectable hors d’oeuvres that included pâté en croute périgourdin, Chorizo Madeleine with bell pepper coulis, and gazpacho of tomatoes and pineapple paired nicely with the 2010 Aile d’Argent. For the wine dinner, the first course that consisted of presse of Beef Onglet with Duck Liver Medoc, marinated with black olives, crispy bread, capers and onions, was complemented by the 2006 Clerc Milon. The second course that included steamed flounder with clams and sea urchin, fumet and lemon confit, and herb salad was enhanced by the 2008 D’Armaillhac. The 2005 Petit Mouton complemented the third course, which was Farmer’s Egg cooked at 64 degrees, mashed parsley, chanterelles bordelaise and Parmesan cream.

Afterwards, guests enjoyed a side-by-side tasting of the 1996 and 2006 Château Mouton Rothschild, which were paired with roasted beef tenderloin and beetroot, crushed potatoes, roasted eggplant purée and bone marrow beef jus. Mignardises of hazelnut macarons, chocolate cannelés, mini-blueberry clafoutis were served before the deconstructed lemon meringue tarte, which paired well with the 1998 Chateau Coutet.

(Check out Château Mouton Rothschild wines and Petit Mouton at Wine Story branches: G/F, Shangri-La Plaza Mall along EDSA, Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong City (633-3556); G/F, Serendra, Bonifacio High Street, Taguig City (846-6310); and G/F One Rockwell West Tower, Makati City (869-0932).

Visit www.winestory.com.ph.)

Alejandros rock Music Museum

I recently attended the first of two shows of In The Blood, a concert featuring the five performing members of the Alejandro family: Hajji, Rachel, Nino, Ali and Eddie. It was such a fun night! The medleys of the ‘70s and ‘80s ballads had the audience singing. I really liked the OPM medley! Don’t miss the next show on Saturday, Nov. 29, 8 p.m. at the Music Museum in Greenhills!

(Get tickets at www.ticketworldph.com or www.alejandrointheblood.com.)

Fab for the holidays

Dressing fab for the holidays will be a breeze to Forever 21 patrons as the store launches its Holiday 2014 collection, featuring real-life celebrity couple, recording artist Iggy Azalea and Los Angeles Lakers guard Nick Young.

This year marks several milestones for Azalea for it saw the Australian artist landing simultaneously the No. 1 and No. 2 spots on the Billboard Hot 100. She also became the female rapper with the longest-leading No. 1 single on the chart.

Lakers’ shooting guard and Los Angeles native, Nick “Swaggy P” Young signed to four more years with the Los Angeles Lakers and also made his runway debut in New York Fashion Week.

 The couple has gained recognition not just for their many talents but also for their distinct and complementary style. Azalea describes her style as “quirky, bold and strong,” while Young enjoys being “daring and risk-taking” with his choices.

Vice president of merchandising Linda Chang  says, “Fashion plays an important part in the lives of Iggy and Nick; they are both at the top of their games and we felt they were the perfect pair to highlight our men’s and women’s collection this season. Iggy and Nick are known for their bold style and were chosen so a broader audience will experience the Forever 21 brand and lifestyle.”

The Forever 21 Women’s Holiday collection includes velvet knit cropped tops, fit and flare dresses, printed metallic shorts, oversized cardigans and cozy pullover sweaters. The assortment carries a diverse range of tactile and festive fabrics from velvet to metallic fabrics to sequins.

Meanwhile, the Men’s Holiday collection features suiting for all occasions, which includes suits of brushed flannel, wool blends, marled textures as well as tweeds in silhouettes that vary from slim to classic.

(Visit Forever 21 at SM Megamall, SM Makati, SM City Cebu, The Block-North EDSA, Mall of Asia, Lanang Premier, Aura Premier, SM City Fairview, SM City Clark and SM Southmall.)

(Follow me on Instagram @pepperteehankee.)