Of Human Billboards and Double Monitors

Funny how today’s businessmen find all sorts of ways to advertise or market their products. From internet marketing, to print, to commercials, to gargantuan billboards or endless gimmicks all designed to catch our attention with varying degrees of effectiveness.

I remembered when we went to Boracay last year, there was this massage parlor along Station 2 which never failed to make me smile whenever I passed by their shop. Their staffs were lined up outside and whenever people will pass by, they would chant these words:

Hi Sir/Ma’am massage

Try our massage

Massage now Sir/Ma’am

Try now

I’m not sure if that were the exact words but I got a serious case of LSS when I was there. How could I not when they would chant those very words every time someone would pass by their shop, which in Station 2 standards means like every second. I found it quite funny especially how the girls delivered it. Although when I heard it for like the 35^th time, it wasn’t quite funny anymore wtf.

Here in Manila, one of the latest forms of advertising is the human billboards. They’re basically people who walk around the city’s streets with mini billboards that they carry like backpacks. I guess the reason why they’re quite popular nowadays is because they’re cheap plus they’re quite personal since the people who carry them can interact with their target market.

In Ortigas, where I work, you would find many of these human billboards walking along the streets. But there is one that really caught my attention. Since last week, everytime I pass by Julia Vargas on my way to the office, I would find this group of human billboards standing near McDonald’s at El Pueblo greeting every passerby in unison to advertise their instant noodles. Their chant goes like this:

1,2,3

Hi Ma’am, Hi Sir

Tekki Shomen noodles po

Ingat

I never failed to smile whenever I heard them. They’re quite funny. Especially when they would count from one to three before they start so they would be synchronized when they greet you. From the MRT station, I walk a long way just to get to the office under the scorching heat and humidity of the summer sun and hearing them kinda takes away the stress and heat and replace it with a light heart and smile instead. And because of that I’m definitely buying their instant noodles. Hope to hear them again later.

Anyway, would like to share with you a picture of my workstation at the office.

I work with two monitors which is very convenient especially since I didn’t have to press alt-tab that often just to switch from one file to another. Guess when I move to a new job I will have a hard time getting used to working with a single monitor again.

We are currently organizing our team’s team building this May 21^st and I’m quite excited because I think that would be the only time I would be able to go to the beach this summer wtf! Huhu! Had to cancel the CamSur trip next month because we have more important things to spend our money on and save up for. Top of the list of course is the Permanent Residence application for Canada. Hope everything will fall into place for us. *fingers crossed*

buhbye Caramoan T__T

On a side note, we have an activity in the office wherein the departments would compete in beautifying their respective offices with a summer theme using recyclable materials and on Friday, we would all wear summer outfits for the event. Then last night, our department manager sent an email to one of the organizers putting all of us in copy saying "could you please define what exactly do you mean by summer outfit? because i'm afraid some people will misinterpret it and wear daring outfits...". Haha! So funny! Like we would wear two-piece swimsuits to the office!