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My thoughts on Pandemic advertisements in the Philippines

Advertisement 1: BIDA solusyon sa COVID-19 by DOH

As the virus continuously spreads in the Philippines, The Department of Health (DOH) advertises solutions to lessen the spread rate of the covid-19 virus. The advertisement is on behalf of the Interagency Task Force for Emerging Infectious Disease (IATF-EID) with the coordination of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO). The advertisement presented four solutions corresponding to the four-letter word "BIDA." The letter "B" means "Bawal walang mask," which translates to "not wearing a mask is prohibited"- this means that the audience is encouraged by the Department of Health (DOH) to wear a mask when going outside. The protocol was to prevent audiences from contracting or spreading possible diseases to others. The letter "I" means "I-sanitize ang mga kamay, iwas-hawak sa mga bagay," which can be translated to "sanitize your hands and avoid touching things." The information in the letter "I" informs the audience to constantly clean their hands and be extra cautious when coming in contact with objects. According to the article by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the covid-19-causing virus, SARS-CoV-2, can survive for different lengths of time on surfaces of any object. To prevent contracting covid-19 virus from SARS-CoV-2, an individual must kill it through sanitation before it enters the body. The letter "D" means "Dumistansiya ng isang metro," which translates to "maintain a distance of at least one meter" - this informs the public to stay away from the proximity of anyone in public to prevent unwanted transmission of the virus. The letter "A" means "Alamin ang totoong impormasyon," which translates to "know the legitimate information" - this suggests that the audience should be responsible when it comes to receiving pieces of information in the media as every piece of information about the virus and the pandemic plays a crucial role on how the world would behave.

The word "BIDA" is a Filipino word that means "hero" or "the protagonist." The advertisement was purposely created to encourage Filipinos to take part in the action to battle against the virus spreading across the country. The advertisement sparks the audience's "Bayanihan" attitude by calling everyone a hero to commence a collective action and inspiring every Filipino to follow the medical protocols of government health agencies. 

Advertisement 2:  Sama-sama sa Distansya by globeph

The effect of the covid-19 pandemic has changed the day-to-day living of individuals worldwide. The significant effect of the pandemic was the isolation of people, which the government-administered in response to preventing the further increase of patients with the virus. In connection with the events of the pandemic, the Globe, a telecommunication company, made an advertisement highlighting the situation of most Filipino during the surge of covid-19 virus. The advertisement starts with the message "Kailangan dating humidly" through a phone call which hints that there is a cause for why the two individuals should separate. Throughout the advertisement, the messages gave off a sad romantic vibe, a very attention-catching genre for teenagers. The message was later clarified that the two individuals must not get near each other because they are both close to each other - this means that staying isolated to love ones during the pandemic shows love and care to that person. The advertisement conveyed the message through the thought of love and care of audiences, thus, giving a heart-warming yet informative advertisement.

Furthermore, the Globe's advertisement also highlighted the use of the internet to stay connected with their family members and loved ones, encouraging Filipinos not to lose hope and that all of these hardships will someday be overcome. The company showed its sincere concern for those families who are not together physically with an ending note "Closer, Stronger, Together - Stay #SafeAtHome." To contribute to keeping Filipinos following the covid-19 isolation protocol, the Globe telecommunication company provided various promotions that help costumers to stay connected, especially during the times of pandemic. Based on the advertisement's content, it shows no signs of social media manipulation as it promotes positive yet engaging and informative advertisements. The advertisement captures the audience's attention because of its relativeness to the current situation.

References:

Department of Health website. (n.d.). https://doh.gov.ph/bidasolusyon 

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). (2020, February 11). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/science-and-research/surface-transmission.html 

Department of Health (Philippines). (2020, July 8). BIDA Solusyon sa COVID 19! [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ruNCIwyBOk 

Heartwarming Globe Digital Film Shares Message of Hope and Connection Amid Isolation. (2020, April 8). globe.com.ph. https://www.globe.com.ph/about-us/newsroom/corporate/connection-amid-isolation.html#gref 

globeph. (2020, April 17). Sama-sama sa Distansya | #SafeAtHome [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZNnrEKbyJ4 

Media Manipulation & Disinformation. (n.d.). Data & Society. https://datasociety.net/research/media-manipulation/ 

Spacey, J. (n.d.). 17 Examples of Media Manipulation. Simplicable. https://simplicable.com/society/media-manipulation