inDrive turns 'Tita' into the voice of reason on ridiculous ride prices

inDrive has turned one of the Philippines’ most familiar cultural characters - the opinionated “Tita” - into the voice of reason in its latest Philippine passenger campaign.

Created by inDrive’s in-house creative agency inlab, the campaign tackles a familiar frustration among Metro Manila commuters: ride-hailing fares that can suddenly feel unreasonable.

Built around the idea “When prices get ridiculous, trust the app Tita would choose,” the campaign places Tita in a series of increasingly absurd commuting situations. True to the character, she arrives with a mix of unsolicited advice, blunt observations and common sense to stop passengers from making what she considers a bad financial decision.

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The campaign launched on 14 September 2026 and spans two main online films, supported by 30-, 15- and six-second edits, as well as OOH, DOOH, digital media, performance assets, influencer content and a dedicated photo bank.

The creative comes as consumers face continued pressure on everyday spending, while competition in the ride-hailing category pushes passengers to compare apps and fares before booking.

Rather than positioning affordability through conventional savings messaging, inlab built the campaign around a recognisable Filipino behaviour: questioning whether a purchase is actually worth the price.

The creative also brings inDrive’s product proposition into the storyline. Passengers can consider the fare, driver rating and vehicle before selecting a ride, giving them more information and control over their choice.

“In the Philippines, people don't need another brand telling them to be smart with money. They already have Tita for that,” said Adrian Ho, inlab creative team lead APAC. “We wanted to take a very familiar cultural character and drop her into a category of frustration everyone immediately understands. The stranger the situation gets, the more natural Tita feels.”

The films adopt an intentionally heightened and offbeat style, with ordinary commuting scenarios escalating into increasingly unusual situations while Tita remains the campaign’s consistent voice of reason.

The campaign was developed by inlab with FRAGMENT Manila handling agency and production, with Judd Figuerres as director.

For inDrive, the creative approach turns a functional product message - encouraging passengers not to simply accept the first fare they see - into a locally recognisable piece of humour centred on a character associated with unsolicited financial advice.

Rather than asking passengers simply to save money, the campaign gives them a familiar cultural reminder: think twice before accepting a ride price that does not make sense.

From AI-powered marketing and the friction economy to retention-led growth, DMA Philippines 2026 on 29 September in Manila will bring together marketers to tackle the opportunities and challenges shaping the next phase of digital transformation.

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