Jollibee Named Advertiser Of The Year At SMARTIES 2026; Coca-Cola Is Brand Of The Year
Organized by Marketing + Media Alliance Global, SMARTIES™ Philippines recognizes marketing campaigns that combine creativity, technology, consumer insights and measurable business results.
Leading fast-food chain Jollibee Philippines continues to harness artificial intelligence or AI, technology, data, creativity, and consumer insights to create meaningful experiences for Filipinos, with recent campaigns demonstrating how combining these can shape engaging customer experiences and business impact.
This strategy led to the brand being named Advertiser of the Year at the SMARTIES™ Philippines 2026 Awards, taking home a total of 10 awards across categories recognizing innovation, creativity, technology, and consumer experience.
“Technology and data give us new ways to connect with our consumers, but the starting point will always be understanding them. We want to use innovation not simply to create something new, but to create experiences that are relevant, meaningful, and distinctly Filipino,” said Dorothy Ching, vice president for marketing of Jollibee Philippines.
Jollibee’s wins were led by GameJoy, which received Best in Show, the highest distinction at the awards. The campaign also won Gold in Design/Customer/User Experience and New Product and/or Service Launch/Relaunch, Silver in Retail Media/O2O Excellence, and Bronze in Advanced Technologies Marketing.
Chicken Wars Postcode by Postcode earned two Gold awards in AI-Powered Data Insights/Contextual Marketing and Advanced Technologies Marketing
Meanwhile, Burger Steak AI that Predicts Advertising won Gold in Innovative Use of AI in Advertising, while Buo Ang Saya Ng Pasko received Bronze in Diversity and Inclusive Excellence.
The 10-award haul proves Jollibee Philippines’ commitment to combining technology and data with creativity and consumer understanding to develop marketing initiatives that resonate with Filipinos.
Coca-Cola Philippines named Brand of the Year
Organized by Marketing + Media Alliance Global, SMARTIES™ Philippines recognizes marketing campaigns that combine creativity, technology, consumer insights and measurable business results. The gala night was held on Oct. 6, 2026, at Shangri-La The Fort, Manila
Coca-Cola Philippines was named Brand of the Year and received eight awards across categories including omnichannel marketing, AI personalization, commerce and retail media.
The recognition reflects Coca-Cola Philippines’ continued focus on creating more relevant and personalized experiences for Filipino consumers. Two award-winning campaigns were central to this achievement: Coca-Cola Festive 2025, which used data-informed audience targeting and storytelling to make holiday connections more meaningful and Grab’s Year in Cravings, which transformed consumers’ food-ordering habits into personalized digital experiences.
For Coca-Cola Philippines, the Brand of the Year recognition is not simply an industry accolade. It reflects the company’s approach to turning consumer understanding into experiences that are meaningful for people while delivering measurable business impact.
Creating more meaningful holiday connections
Among the recognized work was Coca-Cola Festive 2025, which earned Gold for Omnichannel Marketing and Silver for Innovative Use of AI in Advertising.
Built around Coca-Cola's annual Christmas platform, the campaign brought the brand’s festive story to Filipinos through a connected ecosystem of television, outdoor, digital and retail experiences. It combined television and outdoor advertising with digital platforms including Meta, YouTube and TikTok, while Connected TV placements helped extend the campaign into family mealtime moments at home.
The campaign also brought its festive message to life through activations such as the Emoji Cup promotion with quick-service restaurant partners and Sound of Home, an initiative that helped connect Filipinos in the country with loved ones working overseas.
The Innovative Use of AI recognition highlighted Coca-Cola Philippines’ use of data and AI-enabled audience targeting to deliver more relevant festive communications and identify growth opportunities across regional markets. By combining audience insights and local market information, the campaign was able to connect with consumers at more relevant moments through the holiday season.
Making digital experiences more personal
Together with Grab, Coca-Cola Philippines also earned six awards for its partnership with Grab through the “Year in Cravings” report.
The campaign received Gold awards for Customer Growth & Conversion Strategy and Instant Impact/Promotion, Silver awards for Brand Experience and Personalization, and Bronze awards for Retail Media/O2O Excellence and Customer Growth & Conversion Strategy.
Inspired by year-end recap experiences, Year in Cravings gave users a personalized look at their food-ordering habits, including customized food personas and insights based on their favorite meals and cravings.
The experience also introduced personalized food and Coca-Cola beverage pairings within the Grab app, allowing consumers to revisit and reorder their favorite food-and-drink combinations. By combining personalization, commerce and consumer insights, the campaign transformed everyday ordering behavior into a more engaging digital brand experience.
The collaboration brough together Coca-Cola Philippines, Grab, agency partners and teams to turn consumer insights into experiences that connected digital engagement with commerce.
“These recognitions reinforce the importance of staying close to consumers and understanding what matters most to them,” said Frenissa Lagman, marketing head of Coca-Cola Philippines.
“Whether through personalized digital experiences, data-informed marketing or festive campaigns that celebrate meaningful connections, our goal remains the same; to create experiences that feel relevant, memorable and rewarding for Filipinos. These awards encourage us to continue finding new ways to connect with people through creativity, technology and a deep understanding of what matters most in their everyday lives.”
Together, the awards demonstrate Coca-Cola Philippines‘ success in developing campaigns that resonate with consumers across different channels and turn creative ideas into engaging brand experiences.
