By Jose Paolo S. dela Cruz
“Bringing Hyun Bin was something that is natural for us. It would’ve been crazy for us not to do it!” — Jane Basas
“Down to earth, simple, diligent” – Smart Communications’ top executives sang praises for Korean superstar Hyun Bin as they launched their new thematic campaign for their Giga Life offerings.
Led by Smart president and CEO Al Panlilio, the team behind the recently launched Smart TVC gave the inside story on their latest campaign through the “Big Riveal” – Smart’s first online press conference, where they unveiled a behind-the-scenes clip of Hyun Bin’s shoot.
“I think this is the biggest campaign we’ve had for Smart,” said Panlilio, further sharing that he received a call from Smart SVP and head of consumer wireless Jane Basas on the evening of May 12 – the night of the Crash Landing on You star’s shoot – asking him if he was ready to Zoom with Captain Ri himself.
“We were able to talk for not very long, maybe not even three minutes. He seemed very nice, very down to earth. Of course, he found it hard (to speak) in English but he said thank you for being chosen as our endorser. And you see how – no pun intended – smart he is.”
Basas couldn’t agree more. “I am a personal fan. CLOY was the first K-drama that I watched and I know that my boss, Mr. Al Panlilio, was made to watch by his wife, Angela. MVP is also a fan,” she said. “Bringing Hyun Bin was something that is natural for us. It would’ve been crazy for us not to do it!”
More than Captain Ri’s chiselled jawline and illegally cute dimples though, it was his work ethic and dedication that truly stood out for Basas and the team. She shared how originally, the Korean actor was supposed to voice the entire commercial, which was written in English, despite his difficulty with the language.
“It was to be shot on Tuesday. He asked for a copy of the script on a Saturday. Imagine such a huge star wanting to practice!” Basas said. However, Hyun Bin soon realized that voicing the entire commercial may not be the best option. “We negotiated for him to say certain lines on cam and he agreed. It was a breeze.”
All in a day’s work
Smart’s vice president for corporate marketing and strategy Lloyd Manaloto also shared that all the materials for the campaign – conceptualized and executed with the help of Grey Philippines and Unitel Straightshooters – were shot by a team in Korea in a span of 12 hours.
Photography started at one in the afternoon and ended around six in the evening, in time for the sunset scenes; before the team proceeded to shoot the TVC until midnight. “Like his character Captain Ri, Hyun Bin and his team didn’t make a lot of fuss. They were working with obvious diligence. Imagine doing that kind of complex ad in such a timeframe. It takes a team that’s quite professional and diligent,” said Lloyd.
While a team in Korea executed the shoot, the Smart team, along with their creative partners in Manila monitored the situation via remote. In the end though, the Manila team requested for Hyun Bin to send some of the jackets he wore as a souvenir. He said yes and sent them to Manila — autographed!
When is Hyun Bin coming to Manila?
To answer the 64-million-dollar question on everyone’s mind, Mon Isberto, PLDT-Smart’s first vice president and head of public affairs said, “It’s still not definite because we still have to deal with the COVID situation, but he is definitely coming.”
“We are flying him once, but contractually he owes us three events,” added Basas, who shared that Hyun Bin was so excited to come, had it not been for the pandemic. “He told us that he actually wanted to be here for the launch of the TVCs. We really pray that flight restrictions are lifted really soon and that things go back to normal so we can make more people happy.”
Basas also shared that Hyun Bin has a one-year engagement and that his contract was signed in April, a couple of months prior to the June 1st release of the first TVC – which, by the way, was leaked to fan sites a few days before the big reveal!
While Isberto and his team are still trying to figure out the source of the leak, the PR veteran had an optimistic take on the situation. “The long and the short of it, when you have this kind of really good, exciting news, it’s hard to keep it in a bottle. Never mind, the genie is out, so let’s just have fun with the genie!”
With that said, everyone in the Philippines can expect more of Hyun coming their way through Giga Life and its offers that allow Smart subscribers to enjoy their favorite K-dramas – both starring Hyun Bin and the rest of them oppas – as well as to “pursue their other passions” under the new normal.
Services aside, Smart will also be offering other premium items such as pillows, Smart CTC cards and even six-foot-one, lifesize Hyun Bin standees that are sure to hit the living rooms of K-drama lovers in the country starting June 7.
“The feedback we’ve gotten in the past three days since we launched the campaign has been phenomenal and I think it’s a very, very good decision to bring Hyun Bin as part of the Smart family… Signing him up is a priceless investment,” shared Basas.
Panlilio also added that they were pleasantly surprised to find out that the #SmartAko and #SmartHyunBin hashtags were being used, not just in the Philippines, but in other countries like Taiwan, as well – testament to Hyun Bin’s international appeal.
While Hyun Bin’s collaboration with Smart marks the first time a local telco giant has tapped on the star power of Korean celebrity, it may not be the last. Asked about the possibility of having another Korean star in the Smart fold, Panlilio said this, “Captain Ri would be lonely if he’s alone so…”
Well, your guess is as good as ours.
