Communication is a Weapon

...who created "RAMON MAGSAYSAY" (31 August 1907 - 17 March 1957) the marketing/advertising "product" campaign with millions of dollar media budget? The presidential winner that up to this day still positioned in our mind a "common man," a poor mechanic and the "best Philippine president." How did this poor auto-mechanic from Zambales afford to spend millions of dollars on one of the most expensive and one of the first successful political advertising campaign in the world?
...this remarkable advertising strategy was created by the CIA officer Colonel EDWARD LANSDALE, a former advertising agency copywriter later was a propaganda writer for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS - an agency of the US federal government). The book "Gold Warriors" and the movie "The Ugly American" was based on his life and dirty unconventional military tactics. Lansdale helped the PAF develop psychological operations, civic actions and the rehabilitation of Huk prisoners in projects such as EDCOR. But the secret magic to Lansdale's CIA success was his experience in the advertising trade. Advertising can position people's mind and can reposition the competition or neutralized a problem, it is the power of communication at its highest form. To Lansdale, radical insurrections could be solved by "psychological warfare" techniques and strategies borrowed from advertising gimmicks. The ex-adman made counterinsurgency sound so simple as the direction on a hot-cake mix... "communist guerrillas hide among the people, so if you win the people to your side, the communist guerrillas have no place to hide, you can find them and finish them!"

Seventeen months right after World War II Uncle Sam gave his colony the Philippines independence to avoid expensive war reparation, which he was responsible in destroying Manila to avoid American casualties from the escaping Japanese, later Uncle Sam helped and rebuilt Japan instead, his former enemy. Anti-American sentiment, nationalism and followed by agrarian problems were on the rise. Before the Korean War, the "Cold War" actually began in the Philippines early in 1946 when a real agrarian reform of poor farmers known as the Huks (were WW II Filipino guerrilla against the Japanese) was malignantly re-labeled by Lansdale as "Marxist conspiracy to overthrow the government." Lansdale needed a "Filipino Political Product" with an objective and positioned in the mind of the Filipino society, to counter and reposition the problem.    

...like Lansdale, I'm in marketing/advertising business. I made an advertising "templates" which we usually do in marketing/advertising to research, study, analyzes the advantage and the problem, know/study the market and how to position the product into the consumer's mind. This is how the ex-adman  Lansdale probably did in creating a must have "Filipino Political Product" for the Philippines society and for Uncle Sam's interest...
# MARKET BACKGROUND:

In 1940, Philippines was a Commonwealth of the United States. Philippines had no quarrel with Japan or the Japanese people, unfortunately there were US Armed Forces stationed in the Philippines and when the United States and Japan were unable to resolve their differences over a number of issues, war became inevitable. Filipinos were recruited to serve in the Armed Forces of the United States and fought alongside US soldiers with loyalty and determination.

During Japan’s occupation of The Philippines, there were guerrilla bands on different islands, but the most effective fighters were the Huks of central Luzon. Some 50,000 men and women, mostly poor farmers in the rich agricultural lands of Pampanga and neighboring provinces. They took to the hills and harassed the Japanese, often aided by American soldiers who escaped during the Bataan Death March. Most Huks had no education or political ideology and were driven to rebellion by the tyranny of big landowners. But among their leaders were a few radical student activists, who entered politics after the war to continue campaigning for land reform. The big landowners fought back by calling them communist terrorists.
Legally as citizens of a Commonwealth of the US, Filipinos were American nationals entitled to all benefits afforded those serving in the United States Armed Forces. However when the war ended, the US Congress passed a law, the "Rescission Act of 1946," declaring that "the service of Filipinos shall not be deemed to be or to have been served in the military or national forces of the United States or any component thereof." This effectively stripped Filipinos of their recognition as US veterans and blew away whatever benefits they may have been entitled to.

The US Congress debated the issue of Huk veteran rights. It had long been established that any Filipino who served in the US military, including those who fought as guerrillas against the Japanese, were to be considered as American soldiers. In a move that shocked Filipinos, Congress initially denied the Huks their rights and benefits under the GI Bill, breaking a promise made to them by Gen. MacArthur. They were also denied back-pay, hospitalization, mustering-out pay and burial benefits. It was the first legislative sign that America had now entered into a Cold War mentality, not against a particular nation but against an alien state of mind, colored red, subgroup "terrorist."

# MARKET ANALYSIS:

Five years after WW II during the 50s, after the US turned her back to his former colony, helped instead her former enemy Japan. Filipino patriotism was on the rise once again and socialism was gaining momentum. Agrarian problem, the black propaganda against the Chinese in the Philippines (media said that most of them were communist) will take over the entire business of the Philippines and corruption during Quirino administration, empowered the HUKS are on the rise. The Huks are socialist poor peasants fighting for reforms, resisted Japanese and other imperialist invaders, not funded or given help by the US, outlawed after WW II forced them into guerrilla warfare.
# PROBLEM:

1) Filipino Nationalism and anti-US sentiment is decreasing to the most important "Door of the Orient" where US biggest military base in the world is located.
2) US center of business/warehouse in Asia is attracted to communism because of land grabbing, agrarian problem and poverty. The present President Quirino is being blamed for the state of civil war, the imposition of martial law, the rampant graft and corruption in the reactionary government.
3) rising membership of the Huk, Filipinos are loosing faith on their government, rising poor/mass base population and rising crimes.

# OBJECTIVE:

1) create a "puppet product" that will represent the poor masses with a strong nationalistic image.
2) attack Chinese business retailers who merely ranked third after American and British among merchants of foreign nationality engaged in domestic trade.
3) create an awareness on the danger and hardship of a communist government and society.
4) enforce in school the "Noli me Tangere and El Filibusterismo Law" requiring the study of Rizal writings, to cover up the anti-national and anti-democratic character of the next regime.
5) support American Jesuits in preparing the Anti-Subversion Law that will whip up a counter revolutionary atmosphere of anti-communism and to trammel the people's democratic right of assembly and expression.
6) create a program of land settlement but this merely disguised land-grabbing by the ruling classes in frontier areas.
7) create and support the first Agricultural Commodities Agreement with the US, agreement designed to make use of US agricultural surplus to help perpetuate a colonial pattern of economy in the Philippines, keep local agricultural production at the mercy of US control intermediate industries requiring imported agricultural raw materials and support US propaganda.
8) support US government issue "The Brownell Opinion" making a formal claim of ownership over the US military bases in the Philippines.
9) allows US to bring its allies into the Philippines and attack the people under the pretext of regional defense.
10) allow US military bases in the Philippines to launch the interventionist and aggressive activities of US all over Asia.

# PRODUCT ANALYSIS:

1) Product - RAMON MAGSAYSAY - in February 1945, General MacArthur appointed Major Magsaysay the military governor of Zambales due to his honesty, integrity and ability. During his tenure as military governor he became an outspoken champion for veteran rights seven impressed the local population with his dedication to improving their life. A year later, President Roxas asked him to join the Liberal Party and run for a congressional seat.
He received $10 million in emergency aid to pay the military and offer rewards for information about the insurgents and was promised additional assistance under the Military Assistance Agreement of March 1947, was important for the anti-Huk campaign, he met and befriended newly promoted Lieutenant Colonel Edward G. Lansdale, an Air Force intelligence officer familiar with the Philippines, the Filipino society and Magsaysay's personal JUSMAG (Joint US Military Assistance Group) advisor.
2) Background - guerrilla hero of WW II, graduated at Jose Rizal College, currently serving as Secretary of Defense under the present Quirino cabinet, was encouraged by the US to seize power from Quirino via coup d'etat but Magsaysay refused. He was credited by US and the local exploiting classes on neutralizing the revolutionary mass movement.
3) Strength - Magsaysay have a strong mass base followers, speak some English and has a strong Filipino nationalistic image.

# COMPETITION ANALYSIS:

1) Competition - present President Elpidio Quirino
2) Background - came from an elite Spanish rich ilustrado family, was a Japanese collaborator but pardoned by the US and under the CIA payroll.
3) Image - dictator, graft, corruption, crimes against the people and loosing the country's business to the Chinese.
4) Weakness - gossip about Quirino's "golden arrinola" at Malacanan, extravagant and the last of the rich elite presidential ilustrados.
# PRODUCT STRATEGY:

1) Position - The Filipino Champion of Democracy, "political product Magsaysay" as the answer to the growing Filipino patriotic sentiment.
2) Image - Magsaysay in a humble Barong Tagalog, Tagalog as his official language, open Malacanan Palace to the people specially the growing mass base, photos with poor people - shaking hands - focus on his dirty mechanic hands, man of the people, fight for democracy, strong resistance on communism and the mortal enemy of the Huks.
3) Presentation - all-out support to his bid for presidency in exchange for his brutal suppression of the masses and trammeling of democratic rights.
# COMMUNICATION PLAN:

1) to create communication campaign on Magsaysay's "Honesty" (against corrupt Quirino administration).
2) PR - newspaper write up on Magsaysay's local and international achievements.
3) print campaign on all newspapers and magazines.

4) payola and endorsements on popular radio talk show and programs.

5) make use of poster and outdoor billboards on areas that can not be reach by newspapers and radio.

# CREATIVE PLAN:

1) make use of short, but memorable campaign tagline "Magsaysay is Honest That's Why He's My Guy"

2) full page ads on the leading daily newspaper and magazines, plus vernaculars
3) create radio jingle incorporating campaign words, "Magsaysay" "democracy" "patriotism" and "honesty"
5) billboards, transit ads, posters, leaflets
6) promotional give away; pins, t-shirts, caps, pencils, key-chains

# MEDIA STRATEGY:

1) Print ads - full page, half page & one fourth page on all major newspaper, magazines and vernaculars.
2) Posters - reach weak market and none radio areas
3) Leaflets, sample ballots, pocket cards
4) Radio commercial for long reach
5) campaign buttons & pins
6) T-shirt
7) baseball caps
8) snacks, clothes, can goods, donations during "meeting de avance"
9) "meeting de avance" endorsements from former/reformed HUK members who idolized Magsaysay, like the notorious ex-HUK called "Manila Boy"

...the Magsaysay puppet regime was shamelessly proud of the fact that its chieftain Magsaysay was a running dog of U.S. imperialism. The regime tried futilely to label its slavishness as positive nationalism when faced with the anti-imperialist criticism made by Senator Claro Mayo Recto.
- - ka tony
the 17th of March,'13