Hip hip, 4As! In case you didn’t know, Itch is officially part of 4As Philippines, an organization composed of different ad agencies in the country. They regularly organize enrichment programs like talks, workshops, and competitions for their members. The most recent project of 4As Philippines is a week-long website takeover where ad agencies can share whatever they want on the 4As website. This is a chance for their members to share best practices and lessons they’ve acquired throughout the years (and of course, to showcase their creative prowess, but we digress!)
Our Managing Director Sir Saz and our Director for People and Culture Cy with the board of 4As Philippines
When Itch was given our takeover schedule, we wasted no second and immediately went to work! As with any of our projects, we start at the very beginning—The Big Idea. Our Digital team for this project, Loriz and Hazel, started by scoping the 4As website to see what types of content had been created and what topics have been talked about. From there, Sab, our Strategy Planner, developed a communications strat to help the team come up with the content. With their help, we were able to come up with our main thrust for the takeover: Sharing Itch’s virtual experience of The Big Relief. Our goal for the takeover was mainly to provide an escape for people during these trying times—whether it be through a video, a poem, or even through interpretive dance. Besides this, of course, we also wanted to showcase the authentic creatives that we’ve been nurturing at our agency.
Because our goal was clear and the objectives were set, brainstorming was no-brainer for the team. Within a day, our team came up with three angles to pursue—Working From Home the ITCH Way, Talk About Love With Itch, and a Big Relief Digital Kit—all of which were inspired by our core values of CAPIE. As we crafted the materials, we made sure that our work captured the young, fun, kalog, and slightly sabog energy of Itch. And we also made sure that collaboration, adaptability, perseverance, integrity, and excellence guided us at every step.
Because we were all working remotely, collaboration and integrity had to shine. Our copywriters Kaye and Neil worked closely with our art directors Hershey, Angie, and Klei, and graphic designers Lorelie and Marielle. And collaborate they did! Developing the article, scripts, frame-by-frame guides, sticker packs, and all the other materials was a breeze . Asking questions, giving suggestions, and making clarifications felt like asking a friend’s opinion on an outfit. The numerous “Halu, what do you think of this?”; “What if we try this route kaya?”; and “How’s this version?” exchanged via chat didn’t feel bothersome or aggravating, not even once.
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Teamwork really made our dream work for this project because when we tapped other Itch members for support, they were very eager to help! When Steph, our Project Officer, told the Itch team that we’re preparing the frames for our work from home video, people willingly set aside time from their busy schedules to strike a pose and take pictures (Or maybe they just needed a break from work. Either way, we’re grateful for the help)! And when working on our love language content, everyone willingly and openly shared their stories! Recounting these stories of love reminded us that even though we aren’t together physically, we still have everyone’s love and support to back us.
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As we all know, no project is complete without a few hitches and curveballs along the way. Articles had to be revised several times to make sure it conveyed our message clearly. Scripts had to be revisited again and again to make sure it was inclusive to everyone’s stories. One striking example of adaptability and perseverance is when Lorelie and Marielle were working on our sticker packs. The hours of trial and error trying to turn gifs into moving stickers didn’t deter their spirits. And after a lot of time poring through web articles and jumping from one tutorial to another, they were finally able to do it successfully!
As advertising people, unforeseen circumstances are nothing new to us. So when our initial takeover schedule was moved twice, we knew how to act. With the help of our Account Manager Kia, Account Executive Ely, and Operations Manager Jervic (mga pinaglihi sa adaptability), our timetable was fixed in no time without causing any delay in the development of the materials. These changes were truly a blessing in disguise for our team! With more time in our hands, we were able to look at our work and assess how we can improve on it. We revisited our artworks and write-ups to see if we can make them better. We also had time to assess our internal processes to make sure that everyone has enough breathing room for the project.
As we embodied collaboration, adaptability, perseverance, and integrity, excellence surely followed. We were finished crafting our content pieces a couple of days ahead of time. And when the materials were presented to our Leadership Core, we heard the word that would make even the toughest person tear up: Approved! And this wouldn’t be possible without the help and guidance of our wonderful Creative Lead and mom ng lahat, Lui! We all felt a sense of joy and relief when the materials were finally posted on the website and Facebook page of 4As Philippines.
While we take pride in the work we create, what we’re most proud of is our process behind all of it. When we come together, work becomes synonymous with sharing. There is an openness to be vulnerable with our teammates because we know that we have each other’s backs, even though we’re miles apart. Every person was so open and willing to help carry one another’s load because the success of one person meant victory for the entire team.
The whole experience of the 4As website takeover showed us that CAPIE is really at the heart of everything we do at Itch. Collaboration helps us turn good works great. Adaptability pushes us to be flexible and resilient despite many changes. Perseverance drives us to keep on keeping on even in the face of success. Integrity propels us to do good and be good in order to be better for ourselves and for others. And embodying all these values gears us to be excellent in what we do.
If you missed our 4As takeover, don’t worry! You can check out our content pieces via our Facebook page or through our Instagram account. We hope this makes you feel inspired during these uncertain times. Don’t forget to take care of yourself, both physically and mentally. And we hope that you find your own version of the big relief, wherever it may be!