From Capt. Ri to Captain America: Chris Evans is Smart’s new Filipino-speaking endorser

MANILA, Philippines — “Avengers” and “Captain America” star Chris Evans was officially unveiled as the first Hollywood A-list brand ambassador of Filipino telecommunications giant Smart Communications.

In a video posted on social media today, Evans is shown doing stunts, before revealing himself and dropping the lines that included: “The world is now on reset and is giving us a second chance. We have it in our hands to do better. How do I know this? Simple, Smart ako.”

The telecommunications giant has been teasing the public since Tuesday when it released a teaser for its rumored high-powered endorsement.

"If the world gave you a second chance, what would you do? Should we do good? Or should we do better? Better is coming," the teaser read last Tuesday. It featured a silhouette of a man looking over a sunset.

The following day, a man in an all-black, leather ensemble with a helmet is seen driving a fancy motorbike along a coastal road. It ends with him stopping in what looks like a high-tech secret office while the teaser is scored with the familiar tunes of a superhero flick.

Related: Is the Philippines ready for an 'Avenger'? Smart teases new endorser

Most of the comments named one known superhero in the big screen: Evans a.k.a. Captain America from the wildly popular Marvel Cinematic Universe movies.

Kit Kat, who bears a Top Fan badge in Smart's Facebook page, couldn't help but post two comments.

"From Captain Ri to Captain America real quick," she wrote, referring to Hyun Bin's famous Captain Ri character in the smash hit Korean drama "Crash Landing On You.” The Hallyu star and his equally famous co-star and real-life sweetheart Son Hye-jin were featured for the first time in Smart's TV commercial last month.

According to the company, they are bent into getting the world’s number ones as faces for the brand: from BTS, currently the world’s number one pop group, to Evans, who starred in the world’s number-one grossing film, “Avengers: End Game.”

Chris was selected, said Smart, because of his active participation in socially relevant issues and causes. 

In 2020, he established the civic engagement platform called A Starting Point (ASP) in the US. It is a civic engagement platform where he interviews various US politicians and stakeholders in minute-long videos to discuss American policies and newsworthy topics.

In line with ASP, Chris stars in Smart’s "Live Smarter for a Better World" campaign that intends to highlight the telco’s various Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects in education, healthcare, agriculture, tourism, environment, sustainability, nation-building initiatives and the advancement of technology, among others.

“There’s nothing like the current challenges the world is facing to make us all realize that we are all interconnected, and that our personal actions have broader impact. Through our ‘Live Smarter for a Better World’ initiative, it is our aim to create that spark in everyone to help change the world for the better rather than just settling for ‘good’,” said Alfredo Panlilio, Smart Communications’ President and Chief Executive Officer.

Through its “Live Smarter for a Better World” campaign, the company intends to inspire people to commit to sustainable actions with lasting, positive impact to society. The brand aims to encourage everyone to ignite their passions to help change the world for the better. Over the years, the company has been known to support and promote various causes, including gaining a strong foothold in innovation, sustainability and nation-building.

Helmed by German-born director Pascal Heiduk, who worked with Hugh Jackman and Lewis Hamilton and did commercial film work for BMW, Montblanc and Mercedes Benz AMG, Evans’ TV commercial (TVC) was shot last January in Boston, Massachusetts.

Initially scheduled for a January 11 shoot in Los Angeles, production was moved to end of January due to the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic.

The Philippine team who flew to Boston included Senior Vice President and Consumer Wireless Business Head Jane Basas, Corporate Marketing Head Lloyd Manaloto, Grey CEO John Lucas and PublicityAsia Lead for Public Relations Joyce Ramirez, who bridged Smart and Evans to partner for the campaign and also closed the telco’s BTS deal called "Passion + Purpose" last December.

According to Ramirez, who coached Evans on the Filipino speaking parts, the Hollywood A-list superstar was so nice to work with and was so good at delivering his Filipino lines — more of which can probably be seen in a teased second part of the TVC, also to be uploaded on the company’s official Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts.

“We’re truly honored to collaborate with Chris on this project. He captivated the world for being a hero not just in film but also in real life by using his influence to help shape a better world for all,” enthused Smart Senior Vice President and Head of Consumer Wireless Business Jane Basas.

“By lending his star power and appeal to support our campaign, we hope to inspire more people to bring out the hero within them and unleash their own power to help change the world - one positive action at a time.”