A NIGHT OF GRANTED WISHES
Manila Bulletin says thanks with a million (and more)
The first clue that it was going to be a magical night was the flying carpet right by the door. It was a promise—tonight, you will be whisked away to a party beyond your wildest imaginations. There will be beautiful dancers garbed in thawb and
keffiyeh swaying to the beat of a naker. Tables groaning under the weight of a sumptuous array of rich food will leave you satiated. And a genie will come to make all your dreams come true.
And so it came to pass that on Oct. 16, 2014, guests of the Manila Bulletin’s (MB) Thanksgiving Party had the time of their lives. Dedicated to its loyal advertisers, “Arabian Nights” was a treat for the guests, who were offered pleasure fit for a sultan.
Before entering the venue proper, the guests passed through a souq
inspired market. There were themed booths like the Sense&Style Beauty Mission where guests were treated to a special beauty session. Visitors were able to try the hookah or flavored tobacco in the Hook on Hookah booth of Cruising Magazine. There were also games like the Mystery Hunt where participants had to find hidden objects on big touchscreen displays. The
shawarma stand was overflowing with the favorite Arab snack. And guests could take a photo with a python in the Animal Encounter booth of Animal
Scene magazine. “One hundred fourteen years of business, 114 years of meaningful changing times, two world wars, revolutions, coups, as well as changing of guards at the Malacañang palace with 15 presidents. One hundred fourteen years of being the longest-running newspaper in the country with the reputation of honest, fair, and credible reporting, upholding the trust of our readers. One hundred fourteen years of adjusting to volatile times and the fastpaced technology,” says MB chairman
Basilio Yap. “We are indeed grateful for all your continued support, without you, we will not be here today. Thank you very much.”
A dance competition was held for the agencies and direct clients. The task was to deliver a full- on Arabian production number. And deliver they did! The gourps impressed with their elaborate costumes and thrilling choreography. In the end Universal McCann won third place receiving P15,000 in cash, second
went to Starcom MediaVest Group with a R30,000 prize, and Carat Philippines finished first place with a R50,000 cash prize. The Zoobic Safari group also received a special prize.
MB also gave special awards to outstanding clients and partners. They gave a special award to Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation for their false cover advertisement placement with a QR code while Megaworld Corporation was also awarded for its pop-up spread advertisement. MB awarded the Outstanding Partner Award to Zenith Optimedia, Starcom MediaVest, and Omnicom Media Group. This award is given to the advertisers who supported and believed in the strength of Manila Bulletin for the past year.
But what excited the guests the most was the raffle. MB Thanksgiving is known for its generous giveaways. Some of the minor prizes included GoPro cameras, Tiffany & Co. bracelets, iPads, iPhones, portable speakers, Fujifilm Instax Mini cameras, Powerbanks, and Skull Candy headphones, and overnight stay and spa packages at the Manila Hotel. The grand prize of the night was two vacation trips for two at the Anantara Resort in Dubai UAE. Cris Cepeda of Maxus and Allen Catindig of Federal Land went home with the prizes.
The surprise twist for the night, however, was one “grand wish” for one lucky guest. The guests were ready to leave but a genie’s voice echoed through the venue and surprised the guests with one final prize. A very lucky lady from Group M was picked for the special prize. To everybody’s astonishment the last “grand wish” was one million worth of wishes! The lucky winner was given a choice to make the million into cash or anything equivalent to the amount. She chose R1,000,000 in cash.
“I’m so happy! We’ve been supporting Manila Bulletin ever since and I’m very grateful for this prize,” she says. Somewhere, the MB genie is planning his next great giveaway.