CONFIRMED: ‘Crash Landing On You’ star and SMART ambassador Hyun Bin is coming to the Philippines
In a virtual press conference held earlier today, Smart Communications unveiled its new brand campaign headlined by Korean superstar Hyun Bin (Netflix’s Crash Landing On You). The brand emphasized its commitment to provide quality service to Filipinos especially during the country’s transition to the new normal. This is the first time a local telecommunications company has tapped a South Korean superstar to be the face of its brand.
‘Simple. Smart Ako.’
Smart is now using the fresh tagline, “Smart Ako,” in line with its efforts to innovate and make thing simpler during these changing times.
“The value we have for our customers is to simplify the same things that they have grown accustomed to. And this is not just an empty platitude. We’ve had a long history of innovation. We put a cellphone in every Filipino’s hand, we created prepaid, we built e-load, Smart Money. These are the things that seem so pedestrian now but that is the point, that we’re simple. Our promise is to continue making amazing technology available, and more importantly, simple for everyone to use,” Smart President & CEO and PLDT Chief Revenue Officer Alfredo S. Panlilio shared during his opening speech.
Hyun Bin phenomenon and K-drama inspiration
In line with their goal of keeping things simple for customers and helping each live a giga life, Smart makes two simple promises – to make improvements for a better network and expand and deepen giga data offers further. The brand vows to maximize digital services to help customers pursue their passions, while keeping things as simple as possible. One of the simplest forms of passion the brand sees value in is entertainment. Smart acknowledges the continuous growth of streaming and Korean drama. “The genre also best reinforces the role of communication in a global market and how passion can be understood regardless of race, culture, and language,” said Smart SVP and Head for Consumer Wireless Business Jane J. Basas as she introduced to the media the corporate thematic campaign starring Hyun Bin. She described the Korean star who will be with them for a year-long engagement as the representation of the digital world’s dynamism.
In Smart’s latest TV commercial, Hyun Bin rides a sports car and zooms past the city streets – a fitting reference to the blazing speeds by which Filipinos can enjoy their daily dose of entertainment powered by Smart LTE and Giga Promos. The ad strongly concludes with Hyun Bin delivering Smart’s new tagline in Filipino, “Simple. Smart Ako.”
WATCH:
In the middle of the COVID-19 crisis, the Smart team was able to put up the advertising material. Here’s the behind-the-scenes video:
Hyun Bin message to his Filipino fans:
Highlights from the digital presscon Q&A
How did the idea of getting Hyun Bin come about?
Smart SVP and Head for Consumer Wireless Business Jane J. Basas:
“This was something that was quite exciting for us because we knew that there’s such a huge following, particularly for the entertainment genre of K-drama among Filipinos. I am a personal fan. CLOY [Crash Landing On You] was actually the first K-drama I watched. I know my boss, Mr. Al Panlilio, was made to watch by his wife Angela and MVP is also a fan. Bringing Hyun Bin was something that was natural for us. It would have been crazy for us not to do it. In fact, closer to Smart, in terms of our service, our biggest service right now is called the Giga Video. People actually susbcribe to the giga video to watch their K-drama content. The feedback that we’ve gotten the past three days since we launched the campaign since we launched has been quite phenomenal and I think it’s a very, very good decision to bring Hyun Bin as part of the Smart family.”
When is Hyun Bin coming to the Philippines?
PLDT-Smart First Vice President and Public Affairs Head Ramon R. Isberto:
“Dinudumog na ako ng tanong na ‘yan eh (I’ve been mobbed) ever since word started to come out. It’s a sixty-four-dollar question. It is not yet definite when he is coming because we still have to deal with this COVID situation but he is definitely coming. When exactly, etcetera, etcetera, like I said, we’re gonna have to work it out and when we do, magtatago na ‘ko (I’ll be hiding). (laughs) Ngayon pa lang, dinudumog na ‘ko (I’m getting mobbed this early). Don’t worry, ladies and gentlemen, he will be coming. We will certainly announce it and give you all the advance information when the time comes.”
What was it like to work with Hyun Bin and his team?
Smart Vice President for Corporate Marketing and Strategy Lloyd Dennis R. Manaloto:
“The pre-production stage was actually quite difficult because we were conversing with another team in another country. Having said that, working with Hyun Bin’s team and himself was surprisingly simple and easy because they understood the challenges we were facing. We were monitoring remotely and they were producing there. And they also understood we had tight deadlines because we needed to do this quickly. What was surprising was that like his character Captain Ri, he didn’t make a lot of fuss. His team did not make a lot of fuss. He would stay there, they would tell us if it’s doable or not. Obviously, they were working with diligence and they were very professional. We shot the whole thing for one day.”
Shall we expect more Korean endorsers for Smart?
Smart Vice President for Corporate Marketing and Strategy Lloyd Dennis R. Manaloto
“Well, Captain Ri is lonely if he’s alone, right? So, maybe we could give him a partner.”
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Exciting things are up ahead as Smart continues to expand and upgrade on its mobile data network, which now supports a wide range of Giga Promos catering to the different passions and needs of customers. Smart offers Giga Video for subscribers who want to binge-watch the latest K-drama, online shows and series, and Giga Stories for those who love sharing their experiences with friends and loved ones on social media. Giga Games are also available for avid mobile gamers, Giga Music for those who want their daily dose of tunes and podcasts, and Giga Work for easy access to a wide range of productivity apps to make work and school life simpler and more convenient.
Smart customers can register to Giga promos by simply dialing *123#.
Know more about Smart’s promos and services by following Smart’s official accounts on Facebook at www.fb.com/
