THE GIFT OF WELLNESS IN A BOX

The Christmas season heralds a lot of things. For one, people painstakingly think about the perfect present for their loved ones, friends, colleagues and business partners.

There is a great deal of gift options out there. However, deciding on the most appropriate gift need not be time consuming and challenging if you’re guided by the principle of ‘sharing what’s good for everyone.’ “One good idea is giving the gift of health and wellness. All people need to constantly improve their health and this is one way of saying that you truly care. That’s why Spa Essentials has come up with wellness gift sets for this Christmas season,” says Dr. Mike Turvill, a respected aromatherapy expert and President of Spa Essentials.

Spa Essentials Gift Set 1 contains two massage oil bottles that come in a beautifully crafted box and paper gift bag

Spa Essentials Gift Set 2 contains a shower gel and body lotion which come in a beautifully crafted box and paper gift bag

Spa Essentials aromatherapy products use the effects of 100% pure essential oils in the form of linen sprays, massage oils, lotions and shower gels to combat the effects of everyday life with variants such as Energy, Stress Relief, Sleep Easy, Aches and Pains and Breathe Easy


Dr Mike went on to explain that Spa Essentials has combined its most popular products to create two individual gift sets. The first incorporates two massage oils priced at P420 while the second consists of a 200mL shower gel and 200mL body lotion priced at P498. Both gifts come with a FREE beautifully crafted box and paper bag so that customers won’t have to worry about gift-wrapping.


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As a way of giving back to the community, Spa Essentials partnered with Alternative Indigenous Development Foundation (AIDFI), a non-government organization, to help bring livelihood to the Mambugsay village in Negros Oriental by sourcing natural lemongrass oil for its products. AIDFI, nominated recently to the prestigious British Broadcasting Council (BBC) World Challenge for its innovative advocacies, taught the villagers how to cultivate lemongrass and installed a steam distillation equipment for the production of lemongrass essential oil. The village used to earn a living from corn and charcoal, however, these industries polluted the environment and made the land barren.


“Aside from helping take away the stresses & strains of everyday life, Spa Essentials is also committed to support these village farmers by donating a certain percentage of our sales to improve their lives,” shared Dr. Turvill.


For more info about Spa Essentials and to partake of their product freebies, visit www.facebook.com/watsons.spaessentials on the web. It is sold exclusively at all Watsons stores and Beauty by SM in SM Department Stores.


By Paolo Angelo Florenda

Doggies Choice Pet Care Blogcon! An informative forum/seminar on dog care

Doggies Choice, a leading brand of pet care products recently hosted an intimate mini-press and bloggers conference cum Christmas dinner to explain fully well to bloggers and media its unique products and its importance to dog care. The event also aimed to educate the bloggers on overall proper dog care. Organized together with our PR agency Cando, Florenda PR and Marketing, the event was truly an exclusive, intimate and casual tete-a-tete with the top bloggers of the land. As shown in the photos, the bloggers had a good time since some still lingered for more than an hour after the event to chit chat with us and Kirk Chester Dy, Doggies Choice Marketing Director and the good people from the famed brand. 

The classy and aesthetically-pleasing facade of Dolcelatte resto, the venue for the 1st Doggies Choice blogcon



Kirk Chester Dy, Doggies Choice Marketing Director explaining the history and benefits of the leading pet care brand

 This proves that you dont need a grandiose and firework-laden event to capture the blogosphere's attention. All you need are some tender loving care and an information-rich staple.

The bloggers did not go empty handed as Doggies Choice generously gave them usable loot bags complete with their products and a unique dog tag to boot, aside from the sumptuous dinner of course!



Edwin Inson, Doggies Choice Brand Manager doing his presentation

Held at the classy and hotel-like Dolcelatté resto, Dy talked about the special, non-toxic and herbal components they use for the products such as, Madre De Cacao, Guava, Aloe Vera, BPMC-Carbamate, FENOBUCARB BPMC and Sulfur.

Dy said that in coming up with the products, they made sure that the clinically-tested formulations are herbal and natural-based as much as possible. Doggies Choice comes in 3 major variants: Tick and Flea, Anti-Mange and Herbal 3 in 1. The Tick and Flea line consists of a soap, shampoo and powder, a complete system to eradicate the dreaded tick and flea parasites. Dy said some symptoms to look out for tick and flea infestations are hair-loss, itchiness, scabs and wound infections. 


The complete line of Doggies Choice pet care products



DIKU, the official mascot of Doggies Choice was on hand to entertain the bloggers and media

“Our main weapon against ticks and fleas is an ingredient called FENOBUCARB BPMC that is safe for dogs and humans as well. It is very effective in killing these terrible pests which can cause more serious skin infections if left unchecked. The best thing is it shields and protects your dog’s skin from these parasites long after applying.

The Doggies Choice blogcon was well attended by leading bloggers of the country



Kirk Chester Dy, Doggies Choice Marketing Director looking dapper during his very informative but relaxed presentation

For dogs who have the more dreadful Mange disease or in slang term ‘galis’, Dy advised the media and bloggers to use their heavy artillery, the Anti-Mange line which consists also of a soap and shampoo.

Popular blogger Lee Shen Gee asking sensible dog care-related questions during the brief presscon



Doggies Choice Anti-Mange line

 “In curing this dreaded dog disease, many bizarre and unfounded remedies have sprung up such as application of cooking oil and worse engine oil! The latter can be very harmful not only to dogs but us humans as well since it contains a lot of toxic substances. However, with all these weird claims, one herbal treatment was scientifically proven effective as a "Mange-Buster." This natural, environmentally-friendly and non-toxic pesticide came from the Madre De Cacao plant which is the active ingredient in our Anti-Mange line. Once applied, Madre De Cacao acts as an effective anti-parasitic, safely eliminating mange causing fleas. The only downside to Madre De Cacao is that the extraction of the needed component can be slow and messy. We also added sulfur to the Anti-Mange line to complement Madre De Cacao. This also makes it an effective anti-fungal product line,” explained Dy.

The sumptuous menu prepared by the classy Dolcelatte resto, the venue for the blogcon

Succulent Chocolate Pralines were also served as desserts

The sumptuous menu prepared by the classy Dolcelatte resto, the venue for the blogcon

For maintenance and continuous protection from ticks, fleas and mange, Doggies Choice recommends the Herbal 3 in 1 line. This line consists of a soap and shampoo with three potent herbal ingredients: Madre De Cacao, Guava and Aloe Vera.

Dy said Guava is an excellent effective ‘bactericide’ (a substance that kills germs) and promotes wound-healing. While Aloe Vera is widely known as a good hair conditioner which helps retain moisture and makes a dog’s coat healthy.

“Of course as I’ve explained earlier, Madre De Cacao is a good anti-parasitic and anti-fungal stuff,” Dy added.


Paolo Florenda, Doggies Choice PR consultant (second from left) having a blast with the bloggers

“And lastly, pet hygiene is not only limited to our furry friends. What’s the use in making them germ and parasite free if their surroundings like the dog house and play area are full of these? That’s why we came up with the Doggies Choice PetHouse Cleanser. It cleanses and sanitizes your dog’s area. It has a special, non-hazardous formulation consisting of menthol and BPMC-Carbamate that eliminates bacteria, fungi and parasites. Aside from these benefits, it also repels egg-laying mosquitoes and kills other house pests like cockroaches, mosquitoes and even mice,” said Dy.

Me (in black cap) w/ from left: Chuchie Ledesma from Zen Health and also a blogger, my biz partner Nico Cando and DJ Guinto from Farenheight PR agency

After the presentation, a sumptuous dinner prepared by the master chef of Dolce latté was served. There was also a 'Best Blog Entry' competition launched to generate more excitement and encourage bloggers to write their best pieces. Gift packs and cute dogtags were also given to the attendees.

Doggies Choice pet care products are available in major supermarkets and drugstores. As proof of the brand's adherence to product excellence and quality, it was awarded the NATIONAL SHOPPER'S CHOICE AWARD in the category of Pet Care and Animal Health.

Visit www.doggieschoice.com for more info.

By Paolo Angelo Florenda

CFM & Bounty Fresh Chicken conducts first online product launch & quad-media event

At last, after a full month of preparation, my team Nico, Jian, & Karen of Cando, Florenda Marketing & PR Consultancy together with the very cooperative, young and dynamic team of Bounty Fresh Chicken led by Dondi Alentajan & Patricia Chen with Kath Gomez, Raya Bienvenida and Randy Dionio were able to successfully embark on the first ever 'Online Product Launch & Quad-Media Day of Bounty Fresh Chicken'. Traditional media as well as online media including top bloggers were on hand to witness the online unveiling of the best chicken products in the country. It was safe to say that more than 30 lifestyle and food bloggers, around 10 traditional media (print, TV) and 5 online media (online TV & magazines) trooped to our event to cover and experience the brand, the pomp, the showcase, the worthwhile nutrition seminar and of course the exquisitely prepared chicken-based gourmet food by Chef Bruce Lim and Bounty Fresh. Below are some photo highlights and narration in a post event article that I did:

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Karen with professional event host Meg Entrata, sister of popular mom celeb. Suzie Entrata. At the foreground is my hardworking admin officer Jian.




Me and my team excitedly on our way to Chef's Table at the Fort

 "Embracing the healthy lifestyle starts with shopping for healthier food options, from the freshest greens and fruits to the cleanest meats and poultry. Bounty Fresh Chicken, a Filipino-owned company and one of the leading and fastest growing suppliers of high quality chicken products, stayed true to such principle by providing only the best poultry products to Filipinos. Fresh from winning the very prestigious Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2010 award, , the 2009 Asian Livestock Awardee revealed its best practices and its secrets as to why they are known as Asia’s Best in the broiler integrator category in its recently concluded multi-media event called “1st Online Product Launce and Quad-Media Day.”


The registration area and classy facade of Chef's Table resto

Our gorgeous usherrettes/models Tanya Reidenbach & Camille Rodriguez

Media and bloggers are streaming in at this point. The man in purple is Jessie Villanueva of the innovative free online glossy mag called Orange Magazine TV

The mood was festive and exciting inside Chef's Table

Bounty Fresh Chicken held the event at the classy & popular Chef’s Table Restaurant in The Fort. Friends from the media and top bloggers had a fun, prize-laden and educational experience. Aside from bringing home great freebies from Bounty Fresh, they learned delicious and healthy chicken recipes personally prepared and demonstrated by popular TV celebrity gourmet chef, Bruce Lim. Lucky guests went away with special prizes for participating in the games and raffle. A wellness talk given by respected nutritionist Joan Sumpio was one of the highlights of the day’s program, which stresses the importance of chicken meat, nutrition and finding the right product in the market. A ‘Best Blog Post’ Contest was also launched.


Suzie opened the event with an exciting and fun game to jumpstart everyone

The gorgeous Patricia Chen, brand marketing group head of Bounty Fresh, conducted an informative but lighthearted walk through of the company's history 

Some of Bounty Fresh’s well-loved chicken variants are its whole dressed chicken and its chicken nuggets and hotdogs. They also have chicken cut-ups great for Filipinos’ all-time favorite ‘Chicken Tinola’, traditionally cooked with green papaya and dahon ng sili.

Me with Celebrity Chef and Chef's Table owner Bruce Lim

The friendly and pretty Kathy Gomez, Bounty Fresh Assistant Brand Manager for Processed Meat & Fresh Chicken dishing out a 'brand talk' to the media and bloggers

Chef Bruce doing his thing. He specially prepared delicious chicken dishes with Bounty Fresh products as main ingredients

“From the day Bounty Fresh Foods was established in 1996, the company has always been committed in providing clean and fresh chicken and chicken-related products processed from its own state-of-the-art hatchery, broiler farms, and processing plants to make sure our standard of quality are met at all times,” says Bounty Fresh Brand Marketing Group Head Patricia Cheng.

“We would like to be known as a company that adheres to the highest standards of freshness and quality. We commit to offer healthy food choices and the best chicken products in the market. We make it as our humble contribution to nation-building by inspiring Filipino families to live a healthy lifestyle, by providing more jobs and business opportunities across the country, and by showcasing Filipino ingenuity and value of hard work and honesty.”

Fabulous giveaways courtesy of Bounty Fresh were given after the event

Bounty Fresh Dressed Whole Chickens are processed in its state-of-the-art and world-class facilities. The unique processing methods include triple washing carefully grown chickens (first of its kind) and vacuum-packing immediately to preserve the freshness and flavour. “With this world-class vacuum packing process which I think is our advantage over our nearest competitors, we guarantee the consumers that what they are getting is the freshest and cleanest chicken in the market,” said Dondi Alentajan, Bounty Fresh’s Group Marketing Manager.

Bounty Fresh Group Marketing Manager Dondi Alentajan answering questions from the press during the intimate and casual presscon

Bounty Fresh also offers Fresh Chicken Cut-ups, Chicken Nuggets, Corned Chicken, Juicy Liempo and Super Legs and is found in all major supermarkets and groceries nationwide. The company is also behind the success of Chooks-To-Go, a popular 900-strong roast chicken chain famous for its ‘Masarap kahit walang sauce’ flavour.

Kath Gomez being interviewed by an online TV show after the event

My team and the great pips of Bounty Fresh Chicken with Chef Bruce and wife Michelle whooping it up after the event

Bounty Fresh Chicken chose world-renowned talent Lea Salonga as their latest endorser as seen in their recent commercials. Asia’s finest, homegrown prodigy representing Asia’s Best Chicken, a fitting tribute indeed.

Visit www.bountyfreshchicken.com for more info.



By Paolo Angelo Florenda