Proudly Filipino: The Face of Turo-Turo
She is the face that launched a thousand clicks
When
Turo-Turo Philippine Caf first advertised online in early 2010, its
advertisements showed images of the food - with one exception. A small ad
showing a young woman
smiling, with the words "beautiful people, amazing food!" It was really
just a way of introducing a human face to the business, with a catch-line that
referenced the Filipino reputation for friendliness and hospitality, as well
as its creative and varied cuisine.
Mary-Joy
caught people's eye.
It was Mary-Joy who got the most attention from the Filipino audience,
and so, as the campaign continued, she appeared more and more
often - and
continued to attract interest in Turo-Turo. It was nearly six months
before somebody objected.
"I feel embarrassed."
The
complaint basically said that having a
pretty Filipina wearing a sando (tank top) in the ads created the
impression that Turo-Turo was some kind of sleazy website. The person claimed to
feel embarrassed by the ads, and that it wasn’t good for the reputation
of Filipinos.
But the results spoke for themselves. People - Filipinos, and Kiwis - saw the ads, people talked about
the ads, and people came to try the food.
The "kili-kili" pose.
As an experiment, variations of the ad
were tried. Some featured Mary-Joy in a kili-kili
(armpit)-revealing pose. And surprisingly, these ads performed even better.
Again, a few
people objected, calling the ads, and the pose, irrelevant or inappropriate, some even making personal comments about the model.
So
perhaps it's
worth examining the
thinking behind the ads - and meeting the woman behind the smile.
Mary-Joy is not a professional model.
She
is an early childhood teacher. She is intelligent, kind, resourceful. She is also beautiful. In short she represents the
beauty of Filipinos at their best - and that's where the advertisement
gets its power. If Mary-Joy's "flaws" were Photoshopped, or her skin
made to look lighter (some feedback has remarked on how brown she is)
she would not be real. And being authentic - and proud of it - is one
of Turo-Turo's most deeply-held values.
Proudly Filipino
After
a while, the catch-line "Beautiful People, Amazing Food" was replaced
with the more succinct "Proudly Filipino." The accompanying image - of
Mary-Joy proudly showing off her Turo-Turo logo (again in a kili-kili
pose!) - became her most popular, and
most effective, ad yet.
And the statement reinforced Turo-Turo's own pride in providing the
best in Filipino food and hospitality. Honest, authentic, and 100%
genuine.
Mary-Joy's face has featured in other promotions, too - she even aces the freaky zombie look.
Turo-Turo, for one, is proud
of Mary-Joy and the beauty she represents - and Proudly Filipino!
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Turo-Turo
Philippine Cafe 26a Mayfair Place Glen Innes Auckland 1072 New
Zealand (64) 9 528 6050
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