top 10 marketing lessons learned from the ateneo bonfire incident : part 1 - background

a recap of the event:

a man, allegedly an ateneo alumni wrote the names of old and new la salle basketball players on wood, including an arrow design. this man brought the wood, and there were a lot of them, to the bonfire celebration and put the wood onto the pile of wood that the ateneo staff had put there which we assume to be during the morning of the bonfire. the wood the ateneo staff put there did not have any markings on them. the bonfire was lit, including the wood with the names of basketball players of la salle.

someone took pictures of the wood with the names of the la salle players, including one picture showing the man setting the wood with the names on the pile. these pictures were posted on the internet. the pictures elicited reactions and comments, negative, positive and indifferent from various forums, specially those internet communities inhabited by la salle, ateneo and other UAAP students and school communities. those pictures and what they meant was the singular topic of discussions among these internet communities.

so far this incident and the resulting outrage and reactions on the event have not migrated to traditional mass media. (except for one, printed today at the PDI, link to the article below, at bottom of this post.) it is largely contained within the internet world and among these specific internet communities.

the bonfire celebration was held on the quadrangle of the field of grass between the college admin and belarmine buildings. it did not rain the whole day, until around late afternoon when it rained heavily for almost an hour. that turned the field into a muddy mess and will get your shoes soaked in mud 1 inch to 2 inches high from your heels, depending on where you walk on that open field.

the bonfire has been set in the middle of the field, with metal barricades around it to prevent people from going to the wood pile. there were no lights or flood lights that lit the bonfire area. the whole place was actually very poorly lit with lights concentrated on the stage, set quite a distance from the bonfire and lights on the food and drink stalls that were located at the edges of the grounds, closest to the roads and quite a distance from the bonfire. a large part of the field had no lights at all.

walking to the bonfire is quite difficult - too muddy, too dark and very slippery. but based on the pictures, a few seemed to have made it there. but that means not a lot have seen the bonfire itself and specifically the pile of wood for the bonfire. most of the people who attended the bonfire, maybe 10,000 to 15,000 in all were spread across the vast field and adjoining streets and buildings. people were facing the stage so at most, maybe a few hundred stood around the bonfire.

but since the bonfire was not at all lit and very dark, you really can't see much of the wood that's on the pile. the only way you can see if there are things written on the wood would be if you took a picture of the pile and your flash lit the wood. you can of course read anything written on them if you happen to be looking at the pile while the flashes of cameras of other people lit them.

in other words, among the 10,000 to 15,000 people who attended the bonfire that night, perhaps as few as 300 knew there were names written on the wood. a significantly high number of people who went to the bonfire and most specially most of the la sallites and la salle community members would have not known about the names had they not seen the pictures posted in the internet.


so far, so good? reactions? additions? subtractions? please let us know.

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just got this now, 1 article in PDI online, read here : http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/you/2bu/view/20081003-164461/Stoking-the-fire


next in WAWAM! : top 10 marketing lessons from the ateneo bonfire event

view other posts in WAWAM! on this topic here : http://the-wawam-file.blogspot.com/search/label/brand%20ateneo

the ateneo bonfire event - is there a marketing lesson behind it?

pictures of the names of la salle players written on wood burning at that ateneo bonfire celebration - we love the pictures! we hate the pictures! we don't frigin care! those are exactly the words consumers say about what we do in marketing and advertising. (well, ok, they are not exactly what they say, but it's pretty close.)

from this whole event there are actually marketing lessons to be learned. since this is a marketing and advertising blog, i need to work hard now to get this blog to it's original calling using that topic.

the marketing lessons behind the bonfire event, actually in front of the bonfire event - that is next in WAWAM!








ps : i was originally tempted to call it the "ateneo bonfire scandal" but decided against it. i really think there's nothing to it. besides, no sex is involved. there is violence, the mental and emotional kinds, but that does not qualify as a "scandal" as we pinoys call it.



view other posts in WAWAM! on this topic here : http://the-wawam-file.blogspot.com/search/label/brand%20ateneo

ateneo bonfire celebration of 5 wins, UAAP Season 71 champions - september 30, 2008

after 2 weeks, la salle finally accepts runner-up trophy

DLSU ‘eagerly receive’ runner-up trophy
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 05:36:00 10/09/2008

MANILA, Philippines—Almost two weeks after getting swept by Ateneo de Manila University in the UAAP men’s basketball Finals, De La Salle University finally received the first runner-up trophy from host University of the Philippines.

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‘No one called us’

Bro. Armin Luistro, the DLSU president and chancellor, clarified that the Archers failed to receive their trophy because “no one called them.”“At the time, University officials and other supporters already filled the dugout to express appreciation for the team,” he explained.

“We would have gladly received our trophy during the ceremony because we know that we worked hard to get to the Finals. Being a runner-up in the UAAP men’s basketball tournament is an achievement the University is very proud of.”

http://sports.inquirer.net/inquirersports/inquirersports/view/20081009-165418/DLSU-eagerly-receive-runner-up-trophy

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rico maierhofer's father? like father, like son -- please view here and confirm :
http://the-wawam-file.blogspot.com/search/label/1%20rico%27s%20dad



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with permission from the blog owner, WAWAM!, we are posting here a video of the ending of the mass held last night before the start of the traditional bonfire celebration at the ateneo.

the ateneo community had a lot to celebrate, 5 reasons, actually:

1. UAAP Seniors Basketball Champion
2. UAAP Juniors Basketball Champiom
3. UAAP Men's Swimming Champion (with several UAAP records broken)
4. UAAP Women's Swimming Champion (with several UAAP records broken)
5. SBP Basketball Champion

the traditional bonfire was held last night at the ateneo. it was a great celebration - the whole campus was full with every space all over the campus taken by parked cars and even at the late hour of 10pm, there was bumper to bumper traffic at the katipunan still trying to enter the campus.

the whole place was packed with people - it looked like all of the college students were there, many from high school, grade school and a lot of alumni were there. a very large part of the ateneo community came to celebrate and it did not matter that the field where they had the bonfire was muddy. all the shoes and feet of everyone got soaked into the mud at least 1 to 1.5 inches of mud on their shoes. many of the women took off their shoes and walked in the mud barefooted.



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a couple of bonfire pictures where apparently an ateneo alumni made an effort to get the wood, write the names of la salle players (old and new), include an arrow design, put the wood in his car, carried the wood into the bonfire and waited for it to burn.




i thought that's a really hilarious thing to do! it's totally unexpected and very funny! i bet someone in la salle, as we speak is already thinking of ways to top this one for next season's la salle celebration if they win next year.
it's things like these - the passion, the intensity and the silliness that makes the ateneo-la salle rivalry the best and the most in the country. it has been there for decades, it will still be there for decades more. it's what makes the rivalry legendary and of mythic proportions.
can't wait for next year when la salle tops this one. we shall all have a laugh and much louder than this year, for sure.

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photo by : veepee pinpin

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apology letters from fr. nebres and the person who did the stunt:

2 October 2008

BROTHER ARMIN LUISTRO, FSC
PresidentDe la Salle University System
2401 Taft AvenueManila

Re: Ateneo Bonfire

Dear Bro. Armin,

I would like to extend my deepest apology to you and to the La Sallian community for what some alumnus or student did at the Ateneo Bonfire, namely, write the names of the La Salle players on the wood. Unfortunately, none of us saw it ahead of time, because the wood pile was covered by a tarp against the rain until the time came to light it.

Despite our rivalries in sports, we are both committed to Christian values and what was done is certainly a violation of values we share.

Once again, my deepest apologies to you and to the La Sallian community. We are trying to find out who is responsible for the act.


Sincerely yours,


BIENVENIDO F. NEBRES, SJ
President

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3 October 2008

Fr. Bienvenido F. Nebres, SJ
President
Ateneo de Manila University

Dear Fr. Nebres,

I write this letter for two reasons. The first one is to own up to producing the materials with the names of the Green Archers and placing them prominently in the woodpile before the bonfire for all to see.

Secondly, I sincerely apologize to you for the queasy situation you are in as a result of the backlash it created.

While the nature of this letter is a personal apology to you, please feel free to extend it to parties you may deem fit to receive it.



Sincerely,


Jesse Paredes
HS’54, AB’58


sources : http://paulgarilao.multiply.com/photos/hi-res/upload/SOcHRQoKCEsAAH6irLs1
http://scarredempress.livejournal.com/27195.html

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Ateneo apologizes over bonfire incident
By Jasmine W. Payo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 02:05:00 10/06/2008

MANILA, Philippines—A recent Ateneo bonfire celebration has added fuel to the varsity animosity between the Blue Eagles and the De La Salle University Green Archers, prompting an apology from top officials of the Loyola-based school.

Ateneo de Manila University president Fr. Bienvenido Nebres, SJ, recently apologized to the La Sallian community for an irreverent incident during the bonfire on the Ateneo campus last Sept. 30 to celebrate the UAAP championship won by the Eagles at the expense of the Archers.
Some of the firewood used at the bonfire had the names of the entire La Salle roster bannered by JV Casio, Rico Maierhofer and coach Franz Pumaren.

"Despite our rivalries in sports, we are both committed to Christian values and what was done is certainly a violation of values we share," Nebres said in a letter to De La Salle University System president Br. Armin Luistro, FSC, dated Oct. 2.

As reports and photos of the incident circulated in blogs and online basketball forums, students and alumni from La Salle, and even Ateneo, branded the act distasteful regardless of the rivalry between the two elite squads.

Nebres said none of the school officials "saw it ahead of time, because the wood pile was covered by a tarp against the rain until the time came to light it."

An alumnus already claimed responsibility for "producing the materials" and apologized to Nebres for "the backlash it created."

"Our community accepted [Ateneo's apology]," Br. Bernie Oca, FSC, La Salle's representative to the UAAP board, said Sunday. "We are also awaiting the results of their investigations which they said they will do."

http://sports.inquirer.net/breakingnews/breakingnews/view/20081006-164767/Ateneo-apologizes-over-bonfire-incident


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view other posts in WAWAM! on this topic here : http://the-wawam-file.blogspot.com/search/label/brand%20ateneo