At Malacañan, 17th of April, the 2012 Advertising Board of the Philippines (AdBoard) Board of Directors was inducted by Philippine President His Excellency Benigno ‘P-noy’ Aquino III. Members of the Board of AdBoard’s umbrella associations also attended the event.

“I am humbled to be inducted into office by the highest position in the land, as the president of an umbrella association representing craft, creativity and value. The industry not only provides content, but it is the medium. And the medium is still the message,” said Alegre.

“The industry holds power, and the flipside of that power is greater responsibility,” he added.

Current PANA president Margot Torres is AdBoard PRO. Torres is McDonald’s Philippines VP for Marketing and Communications. Another PANA representative joining Torres in the AdBoard BOD is Rudy Villar, Sr. AVP-SM Group of Companies.

Describing the rushing current of technology into the industry as “a digital tsunami”, the newly-inducted president announced the AdBoard’s new interactive platform already in the works. “AdBoard will be new media savvy in a matter of time. More than out-of-the-box, it’s a work of art,” revealed Alegre.

Driving the AdBoard’s theme for 2012, “Responsive Connectivity”, Alegre quoted Steve Jobs: The most innovative works marry art and science—as he spoke of the importance of brand engagement with, and brand commitment to consumers. “This is what makes advertising more fun in the Philippines,” he quipped.

Quoting Charlie Brown, he added, “How can we lose if we are so sincere?”

At the induction ceremonies, the AdBoard gave Past-president Andre Kahn a distinguished service award.