The Gigil Effect: Disrupting the Norm, Winning the Game

5 marketing lessons from the mavericks of advertising, the founders of today’s hottest ad agency, Gigil

Ads hold a special place in the Philippines. Beyond tactical Lazada or TikTok sales campaigns, ads mark holiday seasons with heart-warming, emotional messages, as executed to perfection by Jollibee and McDonald’s. They become a part of online discussions. Funny ads are shared with friends even as Filipinos hum catchy jingles from decades past. It can even be argued that ads play a role in defining our culture. And in the advertising-crazy Philippines, few ad agencies have had an impact like the oddly named duck that is the company called Gigil. Their campaigns have landed on social media with the force of an atomic bomb–mostly for good reasons and sometimes for bad. But what’s undeniable is that Filipinos can’t seem to get enough of their mix of creative, humorous, entertaining–at times downright confusing–ads.

In less than a decade, Gigil has produced some of the most talked-about ads in the country. Every Filipino has their favorite whether or not they know the ads were created by Gigil. There is the bizarrely brilliant RC Cola “Basta” spot, which put the agency on the creative map. There’s the stressed out Ces Drilon chilling to Coco tea. Or the Orocan ad which featured the company’s products being thrown from the top of a skyscraper. And the list goes on to include campaigns for Netflix, Grab, and TNT which have won the agency international accolades such as the coveted Effie Awards. At the heart of their success is a shared belief: great ideas move people and sell products.