PHILIPPINES — Following the immense online celebration among fans and an unexpected leak of highly-anticipated video ad, mobile services provider Smart Communications, Inc. has officially unveiled its new campaign featuring South Korean superstar Hyun Bin.
This serves as the first time for a local telecoms company to tap a South Korean celebrity to be the face of its brand and a historic first for the brand itself to have an international star in its roster of endorsers–a bold statement for the mobile provider as it continues to assert its commitment to bring amazing experiences to Filipinos through digital technology.
Related: Hyun Bin is All Smiles in Smart, Game-changing Move with Philippine Telco Giant
In a virtual press conference with Smart top executives earlier this week, it was shared that the journey of landing the 37-year-old award-winning actor was surprisingly a breeze, even with the contract and the commercial all dealt with remotely, given the present situation.
Hyun Bin is well-known for his many roles in drama and romantic comedy series in South Korea, but his international celebrity raged on with the reach of his recent Netflix-released show Crash Landing on You (CLOY), playing the role of honorable and dashing Captain Ri Jung-Hyuk who meets a snobbish heiress Yoon Se-Ri, played by famed actress Son Ye-Jin.
“The ‘Hyun Bin Phenomenon’ is pretty much due to digital technology – Filipinos have developed the craze because they are able to stream his shows, hear the buzz about him online, share their excitement with their friends, and even get to interact with him through social media,” says self-proclaimed Hyun Bin and CLOY fan Jane Basas, SVP and Head of Consumer Wireless Business at Smart.
“This makes him a perfect ambassador for Smart as we empower Filipinos with technological solutions made easy so they can enrich their daily life and pursue their passions,” she adds.
In a contract reportedly signed last April, Basas notes that the actor’s one-year deal with the telco giant includes three events set for his one-time visit in the country. However, these plans will still be ironed out given the pressing matters on global health and travel restrictions imposed around the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We still have to deal with the COVID-19 situation but he is definitely coming. When exactly, we are gonna have to work it out. He will be coming and we will certainly announce it to give you all the advance information when that time comes,” shared Ramon Isberto, PLDT-Smart’s first vice president and public affairs head.
“Filipinos are some of the warmest fans in the world, and I am thankful to Smart for giving me a way to reach out to everyone in the Philippines. Indeed, Smart has brought us closer than ever,” says Hyun Bin, who first won the hearts of Filipinos in 2005, when a local TV network aired a Filipino-dubbed version of his romantic comedy drama, My Name Is Kim Sam Soon. Since then, the actor has already appeared in a number of series like Memories of Alhambra, Hyde Jekyll, Me, and Secret Garden.
In the latest video ad, Hyun Bin rides a well-powered sports car and zooms past the neon-lit city streets, which, according to the brains behind the campaign, is a fitting reference to the blazing speeds by which Filipinos can enjoy their daily dose of entertainment powered by Smart LTE and Giga Promos. The ad then concludes with the influential star delivering mobile provider’s new tagline in Filipino, “Simple. Smart Ako.”
“’Simple. Smart Ako‘ sums up our company’s approach all this time to make amazing technology available, and more importantly, simple for every Filipino,” says Alfredo S. Panlilio, Smart President and CEO and PLDT Chief Revenue Officer.
With the campaign, Smart champions its history of innovating the simple things that are life-changing – from making mobile phones accessible to ordinary Filipinos, pioneering groundbreaking products such as Smart Load and Pasaload, to democratizing mobile Internet along with its massive 3G and 4G network expansion.
“We are embracing our role as a digital lifestyle enabler that keeps innovating to make the life our customers simpler. Now that the world becomes more and more complicated, we believe that what matters most in life are the simplest things,” Panlilio adds.
Smart’s new campaign follows a string of awards from third-party mobile analytics firms that recognize Smart as the country’s fastest mobile data network.
Ookla, the global leader in internet testing and analysis, cited Smart as The Philippines’ Speedtest Awards Winner for mobile network speed during Q1-Q4 2019. To win this award, Smart achieved a Speed Score™ of 17.40, with average speeds of 19.62 Mbps for download and 9.45 Mbps for upload.
In its latest offering, Smart brings Giga Video for subscribers who want to binge-watch the latest K-dramas, online shows and series, and Giga Stories for those who love sharing their experiences with friends and loved ones on social media.
Smart also offers Giga Games for avid mobile gamers, and Giga Music for those who want their daily dose of tunes and podcasts, and Giga Work for easy access to a wide range of productivity apps to make work and school life simpler and more convenient.
Know more about Smart’s promos and services by following Smart’s official accounts on Facebook at www.fb.com/SmartCommunications, Twitter and Instagram at @LiveSmart. #