I commute to Makati everyday to going work and enjoy different billboard designs along EDSA which somehow keeps me entertained through the crawling flow of traffic. EDSA is a main artery of traffic in the Philippine capital so its not a surprise that companies advertise aggressively along this slow clogged up path using their own creative gimiks. The MOST prominent billboard designs I see would have to be Bench’s. This Filipino Clothing retail company has launched a new campaign called Bench: Uncut. I have no idea what “uncut” is suppose to mean although something nasty has crossed my mind. It features Filipino celebrities who forgot are missing some parts of their wardrobe positioned in yoga-like stances.

A Filipino celebrity shock jock tweeted this recently:

traffic on EDSA, should just rename it BENCH Ave. acronym: Billboards Exposing Nuts and Cocks, for Homosexuals.

djmotwister

My Coco is uncut

I forgot to get cut

The one’s with the women are awesome. Iya Villana is upside down standing on her head without an sweat.  My favorite is Georgina Wilson’s bench billboard. My jaw just drops when I see those 2 mile long legs and tight waist. The problem I have personally are with the male versions.  As a heterosexual male I find it a bit disturbing being forced to glance at the ones with men in underwear 2 sizes smaller than what they should be wearing with bulges sticking out.

Being a student in the discipline of marketing, I can understand where the advertising companies are coming from. A billboard is a 1-way medium of communication. You must catch the customers attention and grind the message in their skulls with an invisible jackhammer. Sexual imagery has long been in advertising. You know your billboard design is a success if it gets on the news or some silly web designer blogs about it.

Some call it artistic. Others may see it scandalous. What is your opinion? Are these bench billboard designs going overboard?

the world is upside down

Uncut and lovin it. Wait wut?

UPDATE: (August 7, 2010)
Hallelujah! Bench has replaced the mens billboards with *good boy* versions. I’d like to think that someone from Bench management read my blog because only the male billboards were changed. The girls versions are still sexy.

Incoming search terms:

• bench billboards
• billboards and posters in edsa
• bench philippines billboards edsa
• bench uncut
• bench uncut georgina wilson
• billboards along edsa
• cocks of filipino celebrities
• georgina wilson
• malls billboard

No related posts.

Tagged as: billboard, Funny, Marketing in the Philippines