The “Best Idea Wins” Marketing Pitch Competition at BrandCon PH 2025 held on September 19, 2025 at Marquis Events Place, Bonifacio Global City, Manila produced a champion in the team from Silliman University.
The team from the College of Business Administration impressed judges with their pitch “AI-Powered Pulse: a campaign that listens, lives, and lasts.” The concept is designed to use artificial intelligence to adapt ads to consumer moods, nudge sustainable choices, and amplify authentic consumer stories into branded content.
The two-minute pitch, which seamlessly blends creativity, strategy, and practicality in addressing the challenge of integrating AI into a marketing campaign, is “powered by AI, but fueled by people.” It transforms ads into meaningful connections and connections into real impact.
The winning team was composed of Lia Nicole Angelika Bungabong, Cytherea Bacli, Alexandre Khaile Generoso, Jon Kyle Fredrick Tan, and Mia Dominique Go.
According to Archie Carrasco, CEO of AGC Power Holdings Corp., over 60 entries were submitted nationwide. From these, ten finalists were chosen to present live before industry leaders in the BrandCon finals, which also featured keynote talks and panel discussions with top executives from GiGil, Pick-Up Coffee, Baken, Unilever, and GCash.
The “Best Idea Wins” competition seeks to develop future marketers by exposing students to real-world industry insights and encouraging them to create campaigns that are both innovative and impactful.
Meanwhile, another group of Marketing students earned top honors at the 33rd Agora Youth Awards (AYA), a national marketing competition organized by the Philippine Marketing Association held in Manila from August 4 to 8, 2025.
Fourth-year student Lia Nicole Angelika Bungabong brought home the Salutatorian Award (second place) in the Individual Category, while the SheMeansBiz team — composed of Rima Rasheeda Aluk, Cytherea Bacli, Alexandre Khaile Generoso, Brent Emmanuel Rabina, and Jon Kyle Frederick Tan — secured third place in the Junior Marketing Association Category. The group was accompanied by their adviser and CBA’s Marketing Program coordinator, Asst. Prof. Heide Jill Vanessa Sierra.
The annual Agora Youth Awards brings together top student marketers from across the country to test their skills in two main competition segments: Marketing Plan, where participants analyze a given business case and present data-driven strategies, and Marketing Pitch, where teams develop creative campaigns and present them before a panel of industry professionals.
For Bungabong, the recognition was both personal and inspirational. “This achievement is not just for me, but also a door-opening opportunity for more students to dream big and thrive on national stages,” she said.
The SheMeansBiz team echoed the sense of fulfillment. “The people we met, the lessons we learned, and the memories we created are something that we will never forget,” said team leader Aluk.
Sierra, on the other hand, said the competition offered valuable opportunities for the group to apply classroom theories to real-world challenges. Beyond the awards, she noted, the students gained practical experience, honed their communication and presentation skills, and expanded their professional networks.
The Agora Youth Awards remains one of the Philippines’ premier platforms for aspiring marketers, giving students the chance to demonstrate analytical thinking, creativity, and leadership while tackling actual industry cases. | NWI
