Championing Purpose-Driven Storytelling: Blen Fernando on the Araw Values Awards
The Araw Values Awards goes beyond recognition—it serves as a guiding force for the advertising industry, reminding us of the power of values-driven storytelling. In an era where media and advertising shape public perception, it is more important than ever to uphold messages of truth, integrity, and purpose.
Ma. Belen M. Fernando shares her thoughts on how the Araw Values Awards nurtures a culture of responsible advertising. She emphasizes the role of young creatives in carrying forward these values, ensuring that the next generation continues to build a future grounded in authenticity, purpose, and social responsibility.
Watch the video below and discover how purpose-driven advertising can inspire change, preserve culture, and contribute to nation-building.
Transcript:
What does the Araw Values Awards mean to you, and why is it important today?
You know, the Araw Values Awards is not simply a set of awards. It's really a set of guidelines on how we, as personalities or as people in the industry, in our community, in our country, can be guided on how we behave, on how we think, how we respond to concerns and issues, how we are able to respond to other people. So, I would not think of Araw Values as a set of awards, really. It's a set of pointers, or maybe even better than that, it's a set of directions that help you find a purpose in the things that you do. In fact, I think the spirit behind the awards is more important than the awards itself because the spirit of the awards tells you the importance of having cornerstone values intact versus just a set of good conduct and manners.
Why do you believe it’s essential for Filipinos, especially young creatives, to engage in promoting these values?
Values are timeless and borderless. At least, that's how I look at them. They cut across income groups, gender, race, faith, beliefs, and even media platforms. So, it's really important that we're able to embed the values in our younger generation, especially the young creatives. The young creatives should be able to transform or evolve from where we were before to where we are now. They become the bridges between what has been traditionally the way values are seen to innovation where values are today.
How do you see the Araw Values Awards influencing Filipino culture and advertising today?
The Araw Values Awards is really a vehicle to recognize outstanding work that has been done. And these works need to be set as inspiration for future advertisements.
So instead of simply being a recognition using a trophy or a plaque, this goes beyond that. The Araw Values instead champions purpose-driven storytelling. It uplifts people. It positively uplifts the lives of Filipinos. And more than just promoting a product or selling a product, it actually recommends a positive solution to the struggles, the problems, the concerns, and even the happy times of our consumers, of the people.
When you talk about Araw Values, there is always a cultural aspect or implication. It cannot just be financial or profit-driven or within the community, but we also affect arts, culture, customs, traditions, and how these evolve into the future. So it's really important for us to be able to see beyond selling products and go to the essence of the storytelling of your brand or your product.
What has been the most fulfilling part of organizing this year’s Araw Values Awards?
I think the most fulfilling part of organizing this year's Araw Awards is really the opportunity to bring back this competition because the Araw Values is very unique. I don't think there is even one of its kind in other parts of the world.
I know that there are regional, international, and global competitions on creativity, on business effectiveness, etc.
But there is not one that I have—at least that I can think of—that purely focuses on values, the values of the country itself, and the espousing, preservation, and promotion of the values of the country that's doing the award.
To me, this is the most fulfilling opportunity—to be able to be part of keeping those values alive.
To me, that's nation-building.
