San Marino Corned Tuna, a flagship product of CDO Foodsphere Inc., proudly clinched the Gold Award for Excellence in Marketing to a Specific Audience at the 2025 Marketing Excellence Awards (MEA). This recognition celebrates a campaign that struck a meaningful chord with Filipino consumers, embodying the brand’s promise of “siksik, sarap, sulit.”
The MEA is one of the region’s most prestigious platforms for recognizing outstanding brand work, celebrating campaigns that deliver meaningful impact through marketing innovation, creativity, and effectiveness. Winning Gold places San Marino Corned Tuna among the top brands in the region.
For CDO Foodsphere, this recognition is not only a win for the company but also a reflection of the trust and loyalty that consumers have given the brand over the years.
The Love You Deserve
San Marino Corned Tuna brought this vision to life with its campaign, “The Love You Deserve,” featuring the TVC Deserve, starring real-life celebrity couple Sarah Geronimo, popstar royalty, and Matteo Guidicelli, actor, host, producer, and businessman. Their wholesome and authentic chemistry lets viewers feel their love and sincerity, giving the product message genuine emotional weight:
“Sa love, ‘di puwede ang kulang.”
“For me, dapat ganun din sa tuna.”
“Ang deserve mo… San Marino Corned Tuna.
Siksik. Sarap. At Sulit.”
The campaign underscored a simple but powerful truth: just as in love, people shouldn’t settle for less when it comes to food. Filipinos deserve meals that are flavorful and satisfying—meals that reflect the care and value they give to their families. With this message, the brand struck a chord not only with taste but also with emotion, making everyday dining feel like an act of love.
Each can of San Marino Corned Tuna brings this promise to life, with less oil and packed with flavorful tuna that embodies the brand’s enduring promise: siksik, sarap, sulit. It reflects what Filipino households look for in everyday meals—food that satisfies, delights, and delivers real value. By staying true to this promise, San Marino has set itself apart in the competitive canned-goods category, offering thoughtful choices that households can rely on without compromising taste or quality.
“San Marino Corned Tuna is about giving Filipino families a meal they can trust,” said Bernice Ilacad-Jalgalado, VP for Marketing of CDO Foodsphere Inc. “Winning Gold at MEA 2025 reflects the loyalty of the consumers we serve and our promise of ‘siksik, sarap, sulit’ in every can.”
The MEA Gold Award also acknowledges the collaborative effort behind the campaign’s success. CDO Foodsphere worked closely with its agency partners: NuWorks Interactive Labs, Inc. (lead agency, digital, PR strategy & counsel), InCircle (PR execution), and UM Philippines (media agency). This partnership ensured that every aspect of the campaign—from strategy and creative development to media deployment—reflected a deep understanding of what Filipino consumers truly value.
More importantly, the recognition validates the brand’s focus on product qualities that consumers can truly taste, see, and experience. The siksik, sarap, sulit promise isn’t just a tagline—it’s the product reality, delivering the tuna you deserve.
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