AKO MISMO, Smart?

Aside from allegations of phishing activities, AKO MISMO faces a more severe problem--it plays on the hopelessness of the Filipino and tries to make a fast buck out from an already tired and overpromised citizenry.

Who is behind AKO MISMO? Let their website reveal who they really are:

Who is Behind Ako Mismo?
DDB CARESDDB's newest advocacy campaign has been getting a lot of attention to the agency's amazement. This has in fact given them more conviction to stand behind their cause and continue their crusade for positive change.It's no surprise though that AKO MISMO is arousing a lot of people's interest. The commercial undeniably stirred very deep patriotic sentiments among the viewing public that immediately
thousands went online to check the site and signed up to make commitments."We knew we had something great when we came up with the advocacy.", said Teeny Gonzales, Executive Creative Director of DDB, who heads up the creative team that conceptualized AKO MISMO.
"That's because even among us, the message really resonated. It made us all look
deep inside and say, 'No, we're not giving up hope.' " She said that they then went in
search of possible partners for the cause and found the perfect one in PLDT/Smart Foundation. Members of the team then went on another search. This time for the people who would breathe life into the campaign --- people who embodied the message or simply had the conviction to make a commitment to fight apathy. Thus the rich mix of showbiz celebrities, real life heroes as well as regular folk who spoke simply but sincerely in the TV commercial, bringing the point poignantly home.Susan Dimacali, Vice-Chairman of DDB Group of Companies said, "We were overwhelmed with the positive response and people saying that the campaign made them realize that they should stop complaining and start doing their part. There were a lot who chose to put their cynicism aside and truly support the advocacy. It was amazing and
touching reading the wall of commitments on the site. We're grateful for the support of our partners that has allowed us to reach more people and create a real impact."DDB has, in the past, also supported and made campaigns for women's rights, the preservation of the environment, Caritas as well as responsible voting in the last local elections.Many are asking what they can look forward to from AKO MISMO. John Lucas, Managing Director of Tribal DDB said, "There is a lot of clamor for the dog tag so, we hear you! We will be announcing soon how you can get those. There are activities lined-up which you also learn more about from the site."Clearly,
the DDB Team is upbeat and excited about their newest advocacy."That's because,"
Dimacali says, this is something really close to our hearts and something that, yes, we truly care about.

Okey.

DDB cares---or so they say. So, this is DDB Media's advocacy. But, who funds it? Why did they not reveal who forked those millions of pesos for the TVC and the website and all the other advertising stuff. Surely, these people did not use their own personal money, yes? How would you trust an organization with a highly sensitive political advocacy when they already lied about who's behind the campaign?

And why is AKO MISMO very similar with Smart's "ME na ME" campaign?

Is DDB Media ashamed to say that SMART and PLDT are behind them? Why? Because that would tell people that this thing is actually part of the marketing strategy of SMART to pull in more subscribers?

Or, they're ashamed to say that this is the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of the telecommunications giant and it wants to save money by being just a "coordinator" of other CSR campaigns?

DDBMEDIA also owes the public an explanation---where will they spend the money collected from the public? DDB Media is NOT a foundation nor a non-governmental organization. Is DDB media allowed by law to solicit money from the public?

If DDBMEDIA is indeed, allowed by law, then, it should open its books to government and public scrutiny.

DDBMEDIA has a lot of explaining to do.

Yes, I agree with Susan Dimacali---their site is really getting a lot of responses, flak actually.