Geek out of the Day is SkyFlakes
Ad geek outs are back. And this one is close to home: a cracker that sits in almost every Filipino pantry.
Let’s start with 1962.
SkyFlakes launch ad, 1962. Source: Isa Munang Patalastas.
The launch ad shouts “a completely NEW kind of cracker!” in fat, friendly letters. Two illustrated kids grab crackers that spill out of a red-striped tin. The tin is the hero here. It already carries the script SkyFlakes logo and the “New Rich Flavor” badge. Look at that script. It’s very close to the logo we still see on the shelf today. M.Y. San was selling novelty: new kind, new flavor, try it.
Fast-forward to 1969.
“Top hit with the In-crowd”, print ad, 1969. Source: Isa Munang Patalastas.
Now SkyFlakes wants to be cool. “Top hit with the In-crowd.” A plate of crackers next to a jar of strawberry jam. The copy talks about parties and get-togethers. Same tin, same script logo, but the promise moved from “new” to “the cool kids eat this, so should you.”
Then 1975 happens.
“Malutong, kahit ano’ng ipatong”, 1975. Source: Isa Munang Patalastas.
“Malutong... kahit ano’ng ipatong!” Four words, in Filipino, and it became one of our sloganeering classics. Look at how quiet the print ad is: a man holding a pack, one headline (”Mabuti na ‘yung laging may SkyFlakes sa bahay”), the logo, and the slogan tucked under it. The TV version did the heavy lifting. One version even had a foreign talent saying it with an American accent: “Malu-tong, kahit ano’ng ipay-tong!” I love that the brand stopped explaining the cracker and started explaining how to eat it. Crunchy, and it holds whatever you put on top.
By 1989, the agency Adformatix ran with that idea.
“...the SKY has no limit”, print ad, 1989. Source: Isa Munang Patalastas.
“Sky has no limit” and “There are a thousand and one ways to enjoy SkyFlakes.” The layout is a grid of pairings: soup, cheese, salad, fruit. The cracker is now a platform. Any which way you choose.
Jump to 2022.
SkyFlakes packs after the NS Design refresh, 2022. Source: adobo Magazine.
NS Design refreshed the packs, and founder Marla Darwin told adobo Magazine: “Every Filipino has a relationship with this brand and any change has to be navigated with care.” You can see the care. The red and white stripes are still there. The script logo is still there. Just cleaner and bluer.
What makes SkyFlakes so fun to geek out on is how little the product changed. The blog that archived these ads notes the base recipe is still the same: wheat flour, shortening, iodized salt, sugar, baking soda and yeast. What changed was the job of the ad. 1962 sold a new cracker. 1969 sold belonging. 1975 sold a use. 1989 sold a thousand uses. The packaging stayed put the whole time, and that’s why you can spot it on a sari-sari store shelf in two seconds without reading a word.
What’s your go-to “ipatong” on SkyFlakes?
Image credits: 1962, 1969, 1975 and 1989 ads from Isa Munang Patalastas, “Brand Stories: SkyFlakes of M.Y. San & Co. 1962-1989 Ads” (isamunangpatalastas.blogspot.com/2022/09/398-brand-stories-skyflakes-of-my-san.html). 2022 packs: adobo Magazine, 28 November 2022 (adobomagazine.com). All ads are the property of Monde M.Y. San Corporation.