August 22, 2012

The true battle

(First published online on October 28, 2008)

I should have not joined the battle if I knew in the first place that the bets would have something to do with my friends. I should have surrendered at the very beginning when they have mentioned that many things will surely change after the battle.

There will be no more BOTA for 2008. This was the first statement of Prof. Edward Gonzales and Prof. Mabelle Olivera during the third annual Tri-media Advertising Campaign Competition dubbed as Battle of the Ads. However, due to certain conditions, they retracted their claim and pushed trough to have another one.

Four groups competed and among them were the Shrooms Advertising Solutions, 31st Avenue Media, Soleil Levant Advertising Agency and Playful Mind Generations Ad Agency. The battle was successful and PMG Ad Agency grabbed the title of the grand champion. Luckily, I was among the copywriters of that group and I was also chosen as one of the frontliners who defended the campaign in front of the panelist.

Former competitors mentioned that even how beautiful one group’s campaign was, everything will still boil down to how the frontliners will try to defend their executions on the said judgment day which on our case was last October 17, 2008 at the Robinson’s Place Ermita, Manila. Not to boast but I guess that part of the winning factors can be attributed to the five frontliners who stood in front of the hundreds of spectators.

Being part of the group, I was like a silent eye that saw how almost everybody functions inside the team. There were those who thinks, those who shell out their physical capabilities in running for the props that were stated on the very last minute before the submission, there were those who give out their allowances for the unexpected payments, while there were those just smirk at what the others were doing.

My primary task as one of the copywriters was to write a script for the TV and radio commercial, music video, etc. So to say, I have done what I believed was my job. There were people who have done multi-tasking and there were those who overlapped with the others’ works. Sadly, I was among them. My sole intention was to make our craft more idealistic not minding what others were feeling. My friend told me that I should no longer be doing that, and when I realized my fault, I immediately quitted it.

At the last minute of our preparations, our team captain ordered that just to be able to submit the needed requirements, we could already run errands for the others. At the point, I was quite reluctant to do it for I realized that it is no longer my job. Then again, for the sake of the team, I did it.

But that was not the highlight of my blog-post, I just mentioned one of the problems that we faced inside our group.

Actually, I want to address this post to one of my so-called friends. We have been together for some time and I also admired this person’s intelligence as well as this person’s innate skills. Since I am considering this person as my friend, I have told this person some of my feelings or even secrets saying that this person should not let anyone know about it.

Then all of a sudden, someone told me that this person have raised my secret during a conversation with my fellow blockmates, and not just to my fellow-ordinary blockmates but to those whom I considered as the black sheep in our team. Well, this secret is not really related to me but I consider this as a sensitive one so I always handle the topic carefully. To open it to other people without my prior consent was what I hated. This person doesn’t even have the right to mention it to other and this person said that this person will keep what I have told no matter what.

Lately, others were saying that there could be something wrong with this person only that they can’t figure it out. Now, I think, I have the answer. Others were trying to decline this person but since I don’t know yet this person’s true color, before, I am always on the defense. Now, I will try to open my eyes and be vigilant, to offense.

The deed is done and now the impact of what this person had done to me was truly great. I should have believed at the very beginning on what the others were saying against this person. If there was one prize that I truly received at the battle of the ads, it is the fact that I have known the others’ true colors.

This was maybe one of the reasons why I couldn’t whole-heartedly proclaim that we have become the champion. We won in the eyes of the spectators but inside, we learned our true lessons.

After the announcement of winners, I have frantically received text messages coming from bitter members of the other group saying that we should have not won in the first place. I just said that we would be able to prove them wrong some other time.

After the battle, I also realized that there were poisonous snakes wandering at the corridors of our department. This was what I think the reason why we can’t really be on top. Looking at the facilities, mass comm of AdU has incomparable equipments but the people behind it were not that good in terms of personality.

The greatest lesson that we have learned in the event was not in the academics but in the attitude of the people behind us. Learn whom you will trust and always care to mind yourself.

If and only if… tsk. tsk. tsk… (-.-)

P.S.
- Job well done, PMG. Congratulations and Good luck on the upcoming events.

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