Why Coca-Cola Canada Sent Magic to the Philippines This Past Holiday Season
Have you heard of the ‘Balikbayan box’? It’s an item of huge cultural significance for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) around the world - a cherished tradition that sees over two million of them send gift boxes back to family in the Philippines as an item of love.
Naturally, Canada is home to a fair few OFWs. After all, it’s a hugely culturally diverse country with a fair number of work opportunities… but it also has some very real downsides. The cost of living, especially in big cities like Toronto and Vancouver, is high, and it’s not exactly close to the Philippines, which makes shipping expensive, especially during the holiday season.
So, to make things a bit easier, and bring some joy to the hearts of many this past holiday season, Coca-Cola Canada, in partnership with WPP's Open X, led by TAXI, circulated 200, custom-branded Balikbayan boxes, all with prepaid shipping, in order to foster that sense of togetherness during the holiday season - even if parties are split by an ocean of distance.
Explained by the documentary ‘Balikbayan Magic’, viewers are treated to the story of Eli, a 30-year-old international student in Toronto. Herein, we get to see her and her family’s reaction to the free box - a poignant depiction of just how the holidays can bring a family together, and the importance and significance of the Balikbayan tradition.
So, to learn more about how this campaign got started, and what it took to bring the documentary to life, LBB’s Josh Neufeldt sat down with TAXI Canada associate creative directors LB Cooper and Sasha Ortega, as well as Coca-Cola Canada senior integrated manager Solange Grimard, for a chat.
LBB> Starting off, why was supporting the OFW community something that was important to the brand? Has there always been an important connection between Coca-Cola and this specific demographic?
Solange> The holidays are big for Coca-Cola - an important time when magic can happen. And here, we were approached with an opportunity to add some magic to a holiday tradition that is so special to the Filipino community. Specifically, when we found out Filipino families start decorating for Christmas in September, we knew we had to make the idea a reality. The ‘Real Magic’ platform is all about those moments of connection, so it’s a concept that transcends languages and encompasses every culture around the world.
LBB> And why was this something Coca-Cola wanted to do this holiday season?
Solange> As a company, we strive to deeply understand our consumers and the role we can play in bringing real magic to the holidays through our flagship brand, Coca-Cola. The Balikbayan boxes cultural tradition was brought to our attention through a member of the community, and after hearing about all the importance and connection this tradition is about, we knew we needed to embrace, celebrate and facilitate it. This initiative came from understanding the insight into the importance of sharing holidays with your family and friends, which couldn’t be more aligned with this 2023 holiday campaign.
LBB> From there, what was the brief, and what immediate ideas came to mind?
Sasha> There has always been iconic work for Coca-Cola over Christmas. So, we took the spirit of this and did something super localised for Canada and Toronto’s Filipino community.
However, this also had a personal connection for me. I was born into the tradition of Balikbayan. My dad left for Canada before I even turned one. So, for the five years that he was away from home, he would send Balikbayan boxes to my mom and I to make sure we felt his love and presence during a time when 15-minute phone calls to the Philippines cost $5.
LBB> Essential in the campaign were the custom Balikbayan boxes, as well as international shipping plans which were established. How did these elements come to life?
Sasha> We wanted to keep the integrity with all the elements of this idea. So, we reached out to many local/Canada-based Filipino companies, and ATIN-ITO stood out. Not only were they excited about the idea, but they worked quickly to get us all the information we needed to purchase pre-paid shipping from them.
LBB> And for the documentary, where does one begin when writing for something like this? Was it a matter of just finding the right person and letting them tell their story? Or were there certain things you wanted the film to achieve from the get go?
Sasha> Finding the right person was paramount to telling this story. We wanted it to come from someone within the community - someone who has grown up with Balikbayan boxes as a love language between them and their family. And, we needed someone with that sort of storyline who had a big family back home.
So, when Jigsaw Casting found Eli Agay, we knew she was perfect! We were so lucky to find her, having grown up being sent these from her mother, raised by her grandmother in the Philippines, and now being the one sending them.
LBB> Building on this, what was working with Eli and her family like?
LB> Eli and her family were so much fun. She really was a natural on camera and comfortable sharing her story with us, which is, of course, a very personal thing. Her uncle was a natural too – he’s the one in the Santa hat - apparently, he’s always the life of the party. We joked that her family was as if we had cast each one individually – an ideal cast of very real people.
LBB> And how was the production process as a whole? Where did you shoot, how long did it take, and do you have any interesting stories or anecdotes from on set?
Sasha> It proved challenging because we wanted to capture the full story and journey of Eli’s Balikbayan box: the tradition, her family’s personal story, packing, sending, receiving and of course, the unboxing. This meant we had to shoot her interview and packing one day, send the boxes over the next day, and then shoot the family receiving/unboxing the boxes.
After shoot day one, Jesse Louttit (director of photography) flew to the Philippines. We worked with Hot and Fresh, a production company based in the Philippines who made the process much smoother than expected. We felt in great hands from the very beginning.
LB> Eli’s reaction to the box design was one for the books. She pointed out right away how thoughtful the design of the traditional Christmas parols were, which consisted of elements of the Filipino and Canadian flags, along with the Coca-Cola bottle.
Sasha> We can confidently say that neither of us have cried that much on set – for a good reason. Especially when Eli got a moment with her grandmother, the woman who took care of her while her mom was abroad, there was no dry eye in sight.
LBB> Tell us more about this! How did you approach capturing these sensitive scenes in such an authentic way?
LB> Authenticity was number one. It’s a special tradition that we wanted to capture, not intrude upon. We didn’t want to make Eli and her family feel that a bunch of cameras were in their faces. So, our director, Tyler Williams, was sensitive to this, and thoughtful in the way he led the interview with Eli. He kept his crew small and as limited as possible to keep things intimate and natural. And we captured everything live in the moment that it happened, so what you’re seeing is their real reactions when they open the box in the Philippines and Eli is on the call with them back in Toronto.
LBB> Both the edit and the music also lend a lot to the final product. How did you work to really enhance the film in these areas?
Sasha> Our friends at School and TA2 did a wonderful job. Because this project was docu-style, there’s an educational aspect to it, which our editor, Dan Bochenksi, was able to balance with those more emotional moments to tell the story in an impactful way.
Steve Gadsden and TA2 then enhanced those moments, writing an original piece and even using authentic Filipino instruments that captured the sentiment perfectly. Our production partners really went the extra mile for this project, and we’re so thankful to everyone who worked to bring this to life.
LBB> What challenges have you faced during this project? How did you overcome them?
LB> Timing. Holiday campaigns are planned for and produced months in advance. However, because we found ourselves in the last week of November, the timing was tight and there was absolutely no room for error. But with the best production partners, clients and a little bit of magic, what seemed impossible was made a reality.
LBB> What lessons have you learned from the making of this campaign?
Sasha> We learned – or better said – we were reminded of two things. One, always pitch an idea you care about. The worst thing a client can say is no! And two, when a project like this comes along that captures humanity at its absolute best, people genuinely want to make it happen and give it their all… even when the timing is a bit wild!
LBB> How have people responded to this campaign?
LB> I think we can all relate to wanting to connect with loved ones during the holidays. But it’s been amazing to see Balikbayan boxes get recognition - from those in the Filipino community and from those who are just learning about it.
Sasha> The response has been great! I think it comes as a delightful surprise for the Filipino community, because a big brand like Coca-Cola wanted to highlight a story of our people.
LBB> Finally, how does this campaign fit into Coca-Cola’s platform going into 2024?
Solange> We are thrilled and touched by the reaction from the GTA Filipino community for this first edition of ‘Balikbayan Magic’. We are hoping to give away even more pre-paid Balikbayan boxes to overseas workers in 2024 along with our holiday campaign coming back again this year.
