Pink Campaign

This ad for Breast Cancer awareness was done sometime late 2007, It was featured in Arab ad magazine and in some ad blogs worldwide, it gained positive comments and moved a lot of people. Inspired by the transparent balloons that were used during the decoration of my daughter's 7th Birthday at the Ritz, and what do you know? I got an email from the British Army Federation and they asked permission to use this ad for their awareness article in their quarterly magazine with a worldwide distribution! That 5-minute creative thought really paid off!

MediaME Interview

Here's an interview I had for mediame. Brief though, but it was good, got good comments, raised a few eye brows, well, what the hey:-) Anyways, Thanks, Uztaz Zeid for the interview.

Gilbert Semillano is a known figure in the Kuwaiti and regional creative scene. He has been creative director at B Communications, and Pulse DDB and has now started an agency called Pencil Advertising in Kuwait.

Q1. Please give us a brief intro about yourself, your agency experience and your current company.

A:I’m a Southeast Asian creative head with lots of passion for creativity, love of life, nature and metals. I am the Chief Creative Officer and General Manager of Pencil Advertising, an all-creative, “cut-the-crap” ad agency based in Kuwait. I hate clichés, rip-offs and am really mad about ads too.

Q2. Tell us about the advertising agency scene in Kuwait at the moment. Do budgets support excellence in creativity? Is the market dominated by network agencies, are locals strong, is there space for creative hot-houses like the one you've just started?
A: The big boys still dominate the scene but the number of local agencies with much more creative ammo is growing and coming up strong.

3. Kuwait has always been a pioneering gulf state in advertising. How do you evaluate the state of creativity in Kuwait now, compared to Dubai?
A: Pioneered, got stuck and Dubai’s gone ahead, well, I guess that won’t be for long. Watch out.. Kuwait’s coming at you:-)

Q4. What are the main obstacles to creativity in Kuwait, if any.
A: There’s a lot actually, I got a long list.

Q5. Has your work been nominated for or won awards, locally and regionally?
A:The local ad agency I worked for bagged the most awarded & creative ad agency at the KAAA, also some of the work got Gold at the International Summit Awards.

6. Tell us about some of the major campaigns your agency has been
involved in and what was achieved.
A: Pencil just started months ago and the jobs are pouring in like crazy, we did some campaigns and rebranding for some of our clients and the results were overwhelming..we are working on a huge project right now
and it is going to be something fresh for 2008. You’ll be the first one to blog about it.

Q7. Have websites and blogs featuring the work of the region's creative staff enhanced the exposure of the region? What's your personal experience in this regard, as one of the most featured creatives on these sites?
A: Of course it does! Through these creative blogs and sites, we can monitor and see what’s happening around us,
keep us updated, see what’s hot and what’s not.. It also help us showcase our work, get feedback and most importantly-- learn from it.

Q8. Any closing comments you would like to add? A: They say “ Fortune Favors the Brave” I’d say, “Got To Have The B*lls First

What's HOT from Coca Cola?

I like drinking Red Bull though it never gives me wings :-) But hey, Check this new drink out by Coca Cola, It's called BURN, yeah that's right! Burn Energy drink, now extra potent. I like the tvc and the print ads made by a Spanish ad agency (the logo looks like Zippo!). Anywho.. To me, this is one Hellish of a campaign. Burn, Baby Burn!

"Burn Dance"

"Burn Invitation"

"Burn Party"

"Burn Seduction"

Advertising Agency: Caldas Naya, Spain
Photographers: Mike Diver & Pedro Aguilar, London
Post production: Diver & Aguilar
Creative Director: Dave Buonaguidi
Art Director: Georgina Hoffmann

Cannes Lions 2008

And the Press Grand Prix goes to...... (drum roll)... It's DDB South Africa!!! The Press Grand Prix went to DDB South Africa for their Energizer batteries campaign "Paint, Pants, Park and Spit". Nine Gold, 29 Silver and 54 Bronze lions were also given by the jury. The Gunn Report 2006 has named DDB as the most awarded advertising agency in the world.




The brief was to increase sales of Energizer Lithium Batteries over the Christmas period. Target audience being parents, due to the amount of batteries being purchased over the Christmas period, namely for toys.

Advertising Agency: DDB South Africa
Creative Director: Gareth Lessing
Art Director: Julie Maunder
Copywriter: Kenneth van Reenen
Photographer: Clive Stewart
Published: December 2007

AD Agencies

Working in advertising is very stressful, but fun. Who can ignore the awards, the pay, the deadlines, the suits, the client, the product and the learning?! I've been in advertising for quite some time, more that 13 years, some were back in Manila and most of it here in Kuwait, I've worked with known brands, regional and international ad agencies as well. Speaking of international agencies, here's some of the agencies that I worked for.

Funny Equations