When Love Blooms Between Two Cultures

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Japanese brand Almond Koka collaborates with Auro Chocolate for a Valentine's pop-up café in MITSUKOSHI BGC

Love transcends borders especially when two share the same passion. The same is true for Japan’s most-loved almond milk brand, Glico’s Almond Koka and award-winning Filipino tree-to-bar chocolate brand Auro Chocolate – who both share the same passion for championing culinary diversity. That’s when love blooms.

This Valentine’s season, the two teamed up to create ORINASU CAFÉ, a special pop-up cafe that marries together Japanese and Filipino cultures through lovingly handcrafted drinks and treats. Located at MITSUKOSHI BGC, ORINASU CAFÉ will add more sweetness to the season from February 1 to February 19, 2024.

Japan’s No. 1 and the Philippines’ Finest

From the makers of the globally loved brand, Pocky, Glico’s Almond Koka is Japan’s best-selling almond milk brand, known for its superior quality taste–all thanks to the company’s relentless pursuit of quality and Japanese technology. Yet another signature work of Glico’s finesse at blending great taste with nutrition, Almond Koka offers a richer and stronger nutty flavor because of the emulsifying method of adding honey and almond oil to ground almond paste.

Collaborating with Japan’s Almond Koka is the Philippines’ premier chocolate brand, Auro Chocolate. The chocolate company carved its path to the global chocolate scene by earning prestigious awards at esteemed international chocolate competitions. For this new concept, Auro Chocolate prides itself in working with MITSUKOSHI FRESH in selecting only the finest Japanese ingredients – such as Matcha, Hojicha and Miso – to be used in crafting the menu. And in line with Auro’s meticulous, innovative, and time-tested know-how, this collaboration with Almond Koka brings out the best in Filipino & Japanese epicurean cultures.

ORINASU CAFÉ

Japanese for 'weave’, ORINASU is exactly what the pop-up cafe symbolizes: the weaving of two cultures through the harmonious fusion of Almond Koka’s and Auro’s product versatility–as seen with the cafe’s limited-edition line of “Choc Au Lait” vegan-friendly drinks and snacks.

Gracing the menu is the fascinating drink that is the Miso Salted Caramel! This luscious vegan-friendly white chocolate drink combined with Maruhide’s top-quality Miso, Auro’s Salted Caramel and Almond Koka - our take on Salted Caramel with a Japanese Twist. Served with a generous heap of White Chocolate shavings.

Hojicha is just pure bliss in a cup. Enjoy the comforting flavors of Auro’s creamy white chocolate, infused with Ikeda Senchado’s top-quality Hojicha, complemented by the richness of Almond Koka.

If you haven’t found “the one” yet, maybe the next drink could be your perfect matcha. ORINASU’s vegan-friendly white chocolate matcha hits the spot with its perfect balance of sweet and earthy. The Ikeda Senchado matcha creation provides that familiar grassy notes, blended with a sweet, velvety finish from Almond Koka.

If you’re looking for something bold, then you’ll surely love the luscious Dark Choc. This drink is incredibly rich yet smooth because of the combined decadence of Auro Dark Chocolate and Almond Koka.

Completing the menu is the Dark Chocolate Stuffed with Strawberries French Toast. Each bite is a delightful burst of Auro dark chocolate filling, tarty strawberry jam with the goodness of Almond Koka. Every treat from ORINASU CAFÉ is brought to you by Almond Koka and Auro Chocolate. For more information, FOLLOW @glico_ph and @aurochocolate on INSTAGRAM.

Official Facebook https://www.facebook.com/PockyPhilippines

Official Instagram https://www.instagram.com/glico_ph/

Official TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@glico_pr_ph

Glico Brand Store (Shopalyst) https://shop-ph-glico.com/brandstore/glico

Glico Asia Pacific website https://www.glico.com/sg/

Game on! Pinoy gamers can win exciting rewards from Aura and The Red Village partnership

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Filipino gamers are offered fun and unique opportunities to earn passively as Singapore-based Web3 gaming platform Aura has partnered with the viral play-to-earn (P2E) game The Red Village.

Aura, the exclusive gaming engagement platform, allows users to connect their own digital asset wallets, enabling them to earn non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and cryptocurrencies by buying, selling, and trading digital characters called Champions. These digital characters are used to enter one-on-one matches and tournaments within the dark fantasy world of The Red Village.

This strategic alliance aims to foster a dynamic and engaged gaming community by integrating Aura's innovative tournaments and marketplace with The Red Village’s immersive gameplay. In 2022, The Red Village captured widespread attention after securing $6.5 million in seed funding from some leading blockchain investors like Animoca Brands and GameFi Ventures Fund.

“We are thrilled to welcome a fighting game onboard. As a long-time fan of this genre, I am excited to witness how the Red Village community engages in various tournament formats in 2024. Our commitment to providing data-backed analytics and insights remains unwavering, a promise to empower and enrich the gaming community." Aura Founder Abin Arjun said.

This collaboration is particularly momentous for the Filipino gaming community, as the Philippines has been the top country showing interest in Web3 gaming for three consecutive years, according to CoinGecko 2023 report. This trend highlights the partnership's potential impact in a region deeply invested in the future of gaming.

The Red Village Founder Lucien Dorman emphasized the importance of marketplace providers such as Aura in the Web3 space, where community feedback is crucial for development, “TRV Tournaments are excited to have Aura work alongside the TRV ecosystem as a marketplace for exchanging in-game assets. The Aura team has worked closely with many TRV players to develop tools, stats, data, and insights that will be helpful in uncovering and understanding the strengths, skills, and weaknesses of in-game assets such as Champions.”

Aura is actively collaborating with The Red Village’s power users to refine its platform, ensuring it meets the specific needs of both the game studio and its players. This includes a revamped game store featuring a user-friendly interface with NFTs that display tailored data points and analytics, enhancing users’ decision-making and gaming experience.

Built across six blockchains, Aura has reached a significant milestone of onboarding over 250 Web3 games and listing 45 million NFTs, and continues to transform the gaming landscape through innovation, user-centric experiences, and active community involvement.

Players who are interested can find more information on Aura’s official X page, www.twitter.com/aura_commerce.

Immerse in an all-new, elevated online shopping experience with Shopee Video

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Shopee, the leading e-commerce platform in the Philippines, has elevated the shopping experience through the lens of creativity with Shopee Video, a vibrant space where sellers and buyers can connect, engage, and enjoy a seamless shopping experience through creative content.

The newest addition to Shopee’s content ecosystem gives users the option to both watch and create videos within the Shopee app. Because the shopping experience is seamlessly integrated into the feature, creators can add product links to videos as they share their shopping recommendations, while viewers can easily add items to their cart as they explore an array of entertaining content.

Diving into the endless world of shopping and entertainment

Accessing Shopee Video is a breeze – conveniently embedded within the Shopee app, users can simply tap the Shopee Video icon on the bottom navigation bar to instantly immerse in current content trends.

Viewers can seamlessly switch between the Following and Trending tabs to either follow their favorite creators or explore suggested content. Navigation is also made effortless by simply scrolling up or down, while video playback can be controlled with just a single tap on the screen to stop and play videos. Meanwhile, those who wish to refresh the content they see can simply go to the top of their feed and pull it down.

Users can also actively engage with fellow viewers or creators on the platform. They can express appreciation by liking videos, sharing their thoughts through comments, and spreading excitement by sharing the content that caught their attention.

From snackable videos brimming with wit and humor, to challenges, hauls, and recommendations across an array of interests, Shopee Video houses a wide collection of entertainment content that keeps viewers hooked on scrolling for more—and adding to their carts.

Attracting viewers with attention-grabbing content

Meanwhile, sellers and creators alike can capture a wider audience through a myriad of ways with Shopee Video. From showing how products work to taking viewers behind the scenes, here are some ways you can seize your viewers’ attention–—and even convert them into buyers along the way!

Trigger their excitement. Unboxing videos create a sense of anticipation that instantly hooks viewers, while how-to demos feed the viewers’ curiosity and show them how a product can either spark joy or answer their needs. Such videos can help convert passive viewers into actual purchasers!

Hop on the latest trends. Whether it's leveraging trending audio, participating in popular challenges, or experimenting with emerging content formats, embracing what's currently capturing audience attention is one of the easiest ways to stay relevant.

Tap the crowd-favorites. Collaborating with established content creators is a helpful strategy to capture a specific audience and effectively promote a brand. Just be sure to work with content creators whose values align with your brand, and whose style resonates with your target audience.

Create a deeper connection. Bite-sized videos are best when it comes to keeping viewers until the end of the video—perfect for sharing deeper narratives in order to build connections. Foster a vibrant sense of community and take viewers through your brand’s humble beginnings or bring them behind the scenes to make them feel like they are part of your journey.

Maximize Shopee Video’s creative tools. Add more fun and creativity to videos with readily available transitions and visual effects, stickers, a variety of text options, and even voice effects! Make it easier for viewers to shop by adding up to six product links so they can add to their cart in just a few clicks.

Kickstart the Shopee Video experience and take part in the 2.2 Shopee Video Festival for a chance to win your dream local vacation! Happening from February 1 to 3, 2024, simply watch videos on the platform for a chance to score round-trip flight tickets and accommodations to your local destination of choice.

So, what are you waiting for? Explore Shopee Video now and enjoy a whole new shopping experience!

Jollibee Celebrates Prestigious Anvil Awards Victories

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Jollibee, the Philippines' largest and most beloved fast-food chain, is thrilled to announce its triumphant wins at the prestigious Anvil Awards.

Presented annually by the Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP), the ANVIL is the symbol of Excellence in Public Relations. It is awarded to outstanding public relations programs, tools and now, practitioners after careful screening by select PR professionals and judging by a distinguished multi-sectoral jury.

Jollibee Philippines with Ripple8, Jollibee’s public relations agency

(from L-R) Lady Ochel Espinosa from PRSP, Dennis Reyes from Jollibee, Shane Torres from Ripple8, Pamela Grace Cruz from Jollibee, Leanne Yap from Jollibee, Elise Maog from Jollibee, Jean Vittorio Sabado from Jollibee, and Swayne Andaya from Ripple8

The brand shined brightly with its accolades in several categories, including a Grand Anvil Nomination, underscoring its commitment to innovative and impactful campaigns.

Anvil Awards Achievements

Jollibee's outstanding entries were recognized in the following categories:

1. Title of Entry: Jollibee’s "Sarap ng Pasko"

Category: PR Programs – Marketing and Brand Communication

Anvil Award: Gold

2. Title of Entry: Jollibee’s “Sarap ng Pasko”

Category: PR Programs – Best Use of Digital

Anvil Award: Silver

3. Title of Entry: Jollibee’s Christmas Drive-Thru Experience

Category: PR Programs – Marketing and Brand Communication

Anvil Award: Silver

4. Title of Entry: Jollibee Chicken Sandwich 2023 Campaign featuring Belle Mariano and Donny Pangilinan

Category: PR Programs – Best Use of Influencer Marketing

Anvil Award: Silver

5. Title of Entry: My Kwentong Jollibee Mother’s Day: Louder than Words

Category: PR Programs – Best Use of Social Media

Anvil Award: Silver

Dorothy Dee Ching, Jollibee's Head of Marketing, expressed her delight and gratitude for the wins, "These awards are a testament to our Marketing team's creativity and commitment to excellence, and the collaborative efforts with our partner agencies Ripple8 and Stratworks, which produced these amazing campaigns. After a 3-year hiatus from joining industry awards, we’re glad and thankful to be recognized once again for bringing joy and meaningful experiences to our customers through these campaigns."

About the Award-Winning Campaigns

Jollibee’s award-winning campaigns, such as "Sarap ng Pasko" and the Christmas Drive-Thru Experience, were centered around the joy of Filipino Christmas traditions and the spirit of giving.

Launched for the 2022 holidays, Jollibee's "Sarap ng Pasko" campaign aimed to rekindle the joy of a Filipino Christmas following two years of pandemic-subdued celebrations. The integrated marketing communications plan was kicked off by a holiday-themed video commercial featuring the megabrand’s all-time favorites Chickenjoy, Jolly Spaghetti, and Burger Steak and exciting new products.

Jollibee Philippines took home a total of 5 metals

(from L-R) Jean Vittorio Sabado, Leanne Yap, Dennis Reyes, Pamela Grace Cruz, and Elise Maog

A special feature of the campaign entailed transforming one store’s Drive-Thru into a magical spectacle via Christmas lights and décor, adding to the festive experience. Finally, a special delivery promo also allowed customers to share in the holiday gift-giving spirit by donating group meals to underprivileged families. The campaign performed well, helping Jollibee reach top of mind awareness and delivered growth sales targets to cap the year on a high note.

In the winning Jollibee Chicken Sandwich campaign, the brand demonstrated expertise in influencer marketing, maximizing brand endorsers Donny Pangilinan and Belle Mariano, also known as DonBelle, and their respective followings to create buzz, awareness, and hype for the product.

Jollibee Philippines and Ripple8

The brand also revamped its award-winning Kwentong Jollibee films, introducing #MyKwentongJollibee – featuring real stories told by the real people behind the stories. It empowered people to tell their own Jollibee story in their own words. Its Mother’s Day film, Louder than Words, narrates a heart-warming tale of a mother’s love and sacrifice for her son who was diagnosed with Autism. Viewers will see how their shared love for Jollibee enables them to connect and bond better, and also witness the sacrifices she has done to support her son’s development. The film has garnered 20M plus views to date.

All these campaigns demonstrated Jollibee's innovative approach to marketing, blending emotional storytelling with effective PR and digital strategies, thus earning various recognitions in the 59th Anvil Awards.

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About Jollibee

Jollibee is the largest fast food chain brand in the Philippines, operating a network of more than 1,500 stores in 18 countries. A dominant market leader in the Philippines, Jollibee enjoys the lion’s share of the local market that is more than all the other multinational fast food brands in PH combined. With a strict adherence to the highest standards of food quality, service and cleanliness, Jollibee serves great-tasting, high-quality and affordable food products to include its superior-tasting Chickenjoy, mouth-watering Yumburger, and deliciously satisfying Jolly Spaghetti among other delicious products.

Jollibee has embarked on an aggressive international expansion plan, with more than 270 international branches in the United States, Canada, Hong Kong, Macau, Brunei, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Italy, Spain, and in the United Kingdom.

HUAWEI MatePad Pro 13.2-inch and FreeClip Launch in the Philippines, Revolutionizing Creativity and Productivity

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Huawei, a global leader in technology and innovation, proudly introduces the HUAWEI MatePad Pro 13.2-inch and FreeClip, the flagship tablet and open-ear design earbuds that seamlessly blends technology, work, and creativity, in the Philippines. Potential consumers can score big deals and discounts on its first sales period from February 2 to 29, 2024, and experience the MatePad Pro 13.2-inch’s new standard of performance along with the all-new HUAWEI FreeClip launching on the same date.

Cutting-edge design: Beautiful, feather-light, and tough

The tablet incorporates a flexible OLED display, an incredibly slim and lightweight build, and an immersive screen, all encapsulating the concept of “Creation of Beauty”.

The HUAWEI MatePad Pro 13.2-inch boasts a 3:2 productivity screen ratio, setting a tablet industry record with a remarkable 94% screen-to-body ratio and an ultra-thin 3.4mm border. It is not only the narrowest border and highest screen-to-body ratio in large-sized tablets, but also one of the thinnest tablets at 5.5mm, weighing only 580g for exceptional portability.

Bringing Creativity to Life

Pair the device with Huawei’s 3rd generation M-Pencil powered by NearLink technology. The handy digital pen is equipped with over 10,000 pressure sensing levels, a first in the tablet industry, improving the accuracy and seamlessness of the stylus which means minimal delay thanks to low latency, enhanced precision, and adaptive pressure. The stylus comes with two types of nibs: a transparent nib for painting and an opaque nib for note taking, catering to a variety of creative needs.

To help users accomplish the full range of their creative pursuits, Huawei has launched GoPaint Worldwide Creating Activity. This exciting initiative rewards the best artworks made with MatePad with a creation fund of up to $5,000, encouraging a wave of creatives and innovators to explore the limitless possibilities of art with Huawei’s latest products. MatePad users can use supported applications such as Mojing Paint in crafting entries. The competition is open to all from January 5 to February 29, 2024, and can be viewed on the GoPaint page.

Portable Productivity

Transition from creative endeavors to professional work seamlessly with the MatePad Pro 13.2-inch. This tablet can transform into a portable office setup with the HUAWEI Smart Magnetic Keyboard, featuring its own touchpad with gesture control that mimics that of a laptop’s.

For multi-tasking needs, the HUAWEI MatePad Pro 13.2-inch also includes features like App Multiplier, and upgraded multi-window capabilities that can open 4 apps and 3 floating windows in one screen. This gives users a PC-like window interaction experience on a 13.2-inch large screen.

Huawei’s SuperHub technology allows you to store text, photos, videos and other data on the floating window so you can easily copy and paste from multiple apps or devices. No need to waste time switching between apps.

PC-Level Productivity with WPS

The HUAWEI MatePad Pro 13.2-inch is made to carry Huawei’s PC-level WPS Office, a digital software that is similar to the desktop versions of MS Office. With its PC-level interface, the WPS Office provides complete functions similar to what is being seen on desktops, and a user-friendly layout, making for a better and efficient professional office setup. Paired with the Magnetic Keyboard with touchpad, it allows for an easier time dragging, selecting, and editing content.

All-day Entertainment

Built to transform your audio experience, the MatePad Pro 13.2-inch is equipped with HUAWEI SOUND™. The tablet offers an exceptional audio-visual experience that will completely immerse you. It boasts enhanced capabilities for audiovisual entertainment so you can fully enjoy your shows, games, and browsing experiences.

If you’re listening on-the-go, you can also pair it with the HUAWEI FreeClip, Huawei's newest open-ear design flagship earbuds, for only PHP9,999. For its first sales period, potential consumers will be able to enjoy freebies of up to PHP4598, inclusive of a one-year loss warranty, and the HUAWEI Band 7 Watch.

Pricing and availability

Elevate your digital experience with the HUAWEI MatePad Pro 13.2-inch, available during its exclusive first sales period from February 2 to February 29, 2024.

For those seeking a classic design, the 12+256gb variant in the alluring golden black color priced at PHP 59,999, while the 12+512gb variant comes in an elegant green color priced at PHP 64,999.

As a token of appreciation to valued customers, Huawei offers exciting freebies worth up to PHP 33,894 and PHP 8,000 worth of trade-in token. The freebies include the detachable HUAWEI Smart Magnetic Keyboard, HUAWEI M-Pencil 3rd Gen, Bluetooth Mouse, HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro 2, PC-Level WPS Office, and a 1-year premium subscription to VIU.

Take advantage of flexible payment options through credit card for a convenient installment plan of up to 24 months or opt for the Home Credit option, offering a comfortable 18-month installment plan.

Level-up your creativity and productivity, and reimagine your play with the HUAWEI MatePad Pro 13.2-inch. For more information, please visit MatePad Pro 13.2-inch or visit Huawei Store, and official stores on Shopee, Lazada, and TikTok.

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About Huawei Consumer BG

Huawei’s products and services are available in more than 170 countries and are used by a third of the world's population. Fourteen R&D centers have been set up in countries around the world, including Germany, Sweden, Finland, France, India, and China. Huawei Consumer BG is one of Huawei’s three business units and covers smartphones, PC and tablets, wearables, and cloud services, etc. Huawei’s global network is built on over 30 years of expertise in the telecom industry and is dedicated to delivering the latest technological advances to consumers around the world. For more information please visit the following:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HuaweimobilePH

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/huaweimobileph/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/huaweimobileph

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@huaweimobileph