GIGIL Agency Founder Herbert Hernandez Rocks Manila

Independent Filipino ad agency GIGIL was only founded in 2017, but the team that was assembled by co-founders Herbert Hernandez and Badong Abesamis has accomplished incredible feats in the past six years, including racking up over 180 awards in their short tenure. In 2020, Campaign Philippines named GIGIL the Independent Agency of the Year and the Creative Agency of the Year. In 2021, Ad Age named GIGIL Advertising Group Inc. the International Small Agency of the Year.

Now, as GIGIL sets their sights on growth into the North American market with offices in both the United States and Canada, Hernandez may see some of his biggest dreams finally realized.

Hernandez is a talented multihyphenate, whose natural inclinations extend far past the world of advertising, and include a proclivity for mathematics and guitar. In fact, Hernandez has moonlighted as a rockstar since college, serving as the lead guitarist for Filipino bands Moonstar88 and 6cyclemind. Extremely humble despite his massive advertising success and more than 20 years of mainstream musical experience, Hernandez is proud of what his and GIGIL’s success can mean for the rest of the Philippines.

Surrounded by Talent

Hernandez may have a unique talent for the visual arts, but he knows that he is surrounded by many Filipinos with a range of talents and skills. In fact, he founded The Indierectory to give ad independents a platform to showcase their work that is directly available to hiring agencies and companies. For account managers, art directors, copywriters, film directors, illustrators, motion graphics designers, music & radio producers, photographers, production designers, strategists & planners, video editors, web developers, and others, The Indierectory creates opportunities that didn’t exist for them before.

But for Hernandez, this still isn’t enough. Determined to bring Filipino talent to the international stage, he is always looking for ways to collaborate with Filipino brands, talents, and communities. With GIGIL offices opening in Toronto, New York, and Los Angeles, and a metaverse division, called Metama, already taking clients, Hernandez and GIGIL are poised to show the world that the Philippines is on par with advertisers on every continent.

GIGIL Managing Partner Jake Yrastorza hopes that GIGIL can rise to a Top 10 advertising agency worldwide within the next few years, which will bring one of Hernandez’s biggest dreams to life. Yrastorza said it best: “We believe in the Filipino talent and see that it is gaining global recognition.”

GIGIL is a Growth Machine

Even prior to the formal expansion plans into North America and the metaverse, GIGIL has been experiencing explosive growth. In the Financial Times annual ranking of the top 500 high-growth Asia Pacific companies, GIGIL found itself on the list for the first time – at #30. With listings based on the speed and magnitude of revenues from 2018 to 2021, which included some of the most challenging years in which to do business in history, GIGIL is the highest-ranking ad agency on the list.

Also a Philippine Growth Champion, as selected by Statista, an international research firm, GIGIL ranked second out of 25 national winners, with a 155.1% compound annual growth rate for 2018 with more than $6.5 million USD in income.

GIGIL may have started small, but has grown into a full-service advertising agency, offering services like media strategy and buying, events management, public relations, and new creative tech like filter creation, extended reality, 3D billboards, and several others. Hernandez and Abesamis take their hiring process very seriously, looking not just for talented individuals, but also those that are willing to work hard and are “good people,” which they consider a highly underrated prerequisite.

Their thoughtful hiring process has paid off. When Campaign Brief published their 20th year of The Work, which represents the most creative advertising work of the year from Australia, New Zealand, and Asia, GIGIL garnered significant recognition. In addition to retaining its position as the #5 ad agency of the year, every single GIGIL employee worked on at least one accepted entry into The Work. With 36 entries accepted into The Work, GIGIL’s team was well-represented.

Hernandez Has a Strong Base

GIGIL may sound like an overnight sensation, but Hernandez and Abesamis have each built careers spanning more than two decades. Always an overachiever, Hernandez knew from a young age that the visual arts, and more specifically advertising, were in his future. He graduated Magna Cum Laude and first in his Advertising class from the University of Santo Tomas before getting his first advertising job at JWT Manila.

Although he laments climbing the corporate ladder too quickly, and not giving himself enough opportunity to try and fail, Herbert Hernandez followed a steady trajectory from Art Director to Creative Director to Executive Creative Director, as he moved from JWT to DM9 to Young & Rubicam. It was at Y&R that he and Abesamis connected, and decided to start their own agency.

Growing up as the child of a Mechanical Engineer and a top insurance sales agent, Herbert Hernandez has always had strong role models. Crediting his parents with making him resilient, analytical, and proactive, Hernandez prioritized his education while also pursuing his many, varied interests. With the sky as his limit, he has taken flight and never come down. With GIGIL poised to tackle a whole new set of challenges, Hernandez is one to watch.

GIGIL is Seeking Risk-Takers

Hernandez and Abesamis know that GIGIL would be nothing without their clients; if companies weren’t willing to take risks, their ability to create campaigns worth talking about would be severely limited. As they bring the Philippines’ unique brand of wacky, kooky humor to international markets, they’re excited to work with new clients who can appreciate what sets them apart from other agencies.

With years of experience, an all-star team, and a vision for Filipino ad magic sprinkled worldwide, GIGIL, Hernandez, and Abesamis are ready for the next chapter in an already-thrilling ride to the top. Much like their campaigns, GIGIL “begs to be talked about,” and promises to give plenty of fodder in the years to come.

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About the Author

Dr. Jerry Doby Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.