Yogurt, Gulp Cups, and Pastries: The Odd Ways Brands are Weighing in On PH’s Voting Sentiment 

Local brands have joined the Philippine political circus in a detour from old-school marketing where companies are expected to be apolitical. Marketers call this “newsjacking,” a practice by which an entity capitalizes on a popular news story to generate media mileage. In a country gone mad over social media, “newsjacking” appears to be a win-win tactic for brands who want to weigh in on Filipinos’ voting sentiment by conducting their own creative, albeit unscientific, mock polls. Let us look at some of the brands that have launched their presidential mock elections while boosting their cash register and appearing relevant to the political zeitgeist.

7-Eleven Philippines

A resurrection of their 2016 presidential mock poll, 7-11’s latest “Speak CUP” sales promotional activity for its Gulp and City Café products is available across all branches nationwide from March 9 to April 27. The cups bear an illustration of five presidential candidates: Senators Ping Lacson and Manny Pacquiao, Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno, Vice President Leni Robredo, and former senator Bongbong Marcos. An “undecided” cup is also available for those without a bet yet (or whose bet isn't part of the top five). Each cup is equal to a barcode that corresponds to one vote.

Who’s leading: 7-11 tallies the votes per day and posts the breakdown on a dedicated website. As of writing, Marcos (45%) is leading the race, followed by Robredo (24%), and undecided (16%).

Baa Baa Thai Tea

Popular milk tea franchise Baa Baa Thai Tea has hopped on the elections train with its #TEAlection2022 campaign. Customers can get a sticker of their presidential bet for every drink purchased.

Who’s leading: #TEAlection2022 kicked off on April 11. It is not clear whether Baa Baa Thai Tea would tally the stickers, but it said the campaign is its way to promote “a clean and fair election and encourage everyone to exercise their right to vote this year.”

Fruitas

Filipino fruit shake maker Fruitas has unveiled their informal poll called “Freshidential Cups,” featuring the five candidates currently leading official pre-election surveys. Customers can cast their vote for every purchase of a 16-ounce fruit shake corresponding to their presidential bet. Fruitas, which had a similar campaign in 2010, has been running this informal poll since December 2021.

Who’s leading: Based on its latest update, Marcos is the frontrunner at 40%, followed by Robredo at 35% and Moreno at 12%. Pacquiao and Lacson have 7% and 6%, respectively.

Koomi PH

Natural drinking yogurt brand Koomi’s informal poll is headed by “Koomilect” and features the top five presidential bets. Not only will you be able to cast your vote, but you will also get a 20% discount per transaction. Customers need to present a valid voter’s ID or stub to avail of the promo.

Who’s leading: Koomi’s Koomilect campaign will run until April 30. Results are displayed on an LED TV in each branch. As of writing, Robredo is leading the vote count, followed by Marcos.

Kumori Philippines

“Choose the cake cup for the one who will never dessert you!”

#CakeYourPick is Kumori’s way to spread love, light, fun, and voter’s awareness this election season. Customers can join its unofficial poll by buying a cake cup worth P89 and choosing a cover to go along with it. There are five flavors to choose from: Summer Strawberry Cake Cup, Okinawa Milk Tea Cake Cup, Butterscotch Dates Cake Cup, Choco Crumble Cake Cup, and Ube Halaya Cake Cup.

Who’s leading: Kumori has so far posted two results on Instagram, with Robredo taking the lead for the months of February and March. Next to her on the list are Marcos, Moreno, Lacson, and Pacquiao. The results are based on the presidential covers and not the flavors bought by customers from all Kumori branches.

Session Groceries

The harvest season for tiger grass, the main material used for walis tambo, has started and Session Groceries saw this as an opportunity to share their own take of raising voter awareness. The brand wants customers to not only support their respective presidential candidates, but also farmers who plant and make our local soft brooms.

There are six colors to choose from: pink (Robredo), red (Marcos), blue (Moreno), blue green (Pacquiao), green (Lacson), and brown (undecided). Interested customers can buy their walis tambo for P250 at The Locale Farm’s website. One broom is equivalent to one vote.

Who’s leading: As of writing, no results have been published yet on any of Session Groceries’ social media accounts.

Ciara Valdez contributed to this article.