Creative agency apologises for controversial ‘Gil Tulog’ campaign

Creative agency Gigil has released an apology for its involvement in the controversial "Gil Tulog" campaign done for melatonin supplement brand, Wellspring. 

The initial campaign saw the change of street signs "Gil Puyat Avenue" to "Gil Tulog Avenue". The campaign play on the Tagalog words puyat ('wide awake') and tulog ('sleep'). 

The campaign quickly received backlash, with Erika Puyat Lontok, a relative of the late senator Gil Puyat, saying that the campaign had "besmirched" her late great grandfather's name to sell melatonin in a Facebook post. 

Don't miss: 2024 Paris Olympics committee apologises for controversial 'The Last Supper' sketch

She was later seen commenting in her post, "anything to sell product right? Congratulations on being the tackiest agency ever." 

Attached to the comment was a screenshot of an article with a headline that read "4As Philippines suspends Gigil over controversial Belo ad." 

In a statement, Gigil said that it recognises the issues caused by its recent campaign, adding that even as all the necessary permits and clearances were secured, its approach had resonated differently. 

Gigil added that the campaign was immediately discontinued. 

"Understanding the distress the project caused, we have personally reached out to members of the Puyat family to convey our regrets and express our respect for former senate president Gil Puyat's legacy," said Gigil in a statement seen by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE. 

"Our agency will be putting in place more stringent measures to ensure this does not happen again," added Gigil. 

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out for more information. 

Gigil's apology comes after Wellspring's apology, which was released earlier in the week. 

In its apology, the brand said it is an adovocate of health and wellness, including the problem of sleep deprivation, amongst Filipinos. 

"It was never our intention to offend anyone in our marketing execution which used wordplay to draw attention to the importance of sleep and how it contributes to one's overall health," said Wellspring in a statement seen by A+M. 

It added that it had promptly taken down all signages.

"We deeply to the family of the late senator Gil Puyat for the harm and offense that the campaign has caused them. Rest assured that there was no intent to besmirch and disrespect his legacy," added Wellspring. 

The brand also extended its apologies to Makati City mayor Abby Binay and the people of Makati for this misstep. 

"As we learn from this experience, Wellspring is committed to practice better sensitivity in our campaigns moving forward," said Wellspring. 

Makati city mayor also took to Facebook to release a statement, saying that "it is unfortunate that the request for a permit for the so-called advertising campaign to change the street signs of Gil Puyat Avenue did not reach my office." 

"The city officials who issued the permit should have exercised prudence. They should have been more thorough," added Binay. 

She added that she had reprimanded the city officials and apologised to the family of the former senate president Puyat. 

Photo courtesy of Google Images

🚀 Level up your digital marketing expertise at Digital Marketing Asia Philippines 2024 – our first-ever event in the Philippines on 5 September 2024! Connect with 150+ marketing innovators as we delve into transformative trends shaping the future. Seize the opportunity for brands to innovate and connect with their audiences in unprecedented ways, fostering sustainable growth in the dynamic digital age.   

Related articles: 
What led to the PR debacle around Nike's Olympics campaign?
Nike ad featuring athlete licking table tennis paddle sparks outrage in China 
The Guardian apologises for placing 'Watch porn' ad alongside child abuse article