I look back to reflect on the turn of events yesterday.  I started out with an early morning tea with an ex-colleague from McCann-Erickson, back in the days when the ad agency was located in Herrera St.  The fact that Herrera St. is now V.A. Rufino St. gives one an idea how many years ago that was.  We were having light conversation at the fountain area of Greenbelt 3 shaded from the morning sun by the ubiquitous green parasols of Starbucks.  Conversation delved on how we should always see the silver lining in every cloud of grey that enters our life.  We talk about how life has changed after the agency experience.  How a blessing and honor it was to be part of such a prestigious firm.

Not having seen this person for some time now, I related how things can be amusingly different in certain ways and yet similar to a point of complete familiarity.  Picture this:  I used to work at the 33^rd floor of GT Tower.  Corner slot.  Majestic and  unobstructed view of Manila Bay by my window.  Then, I was handling Out-Of-Home Media for the agency.  Today, I still cater to the various Out-Of-Home Media strategy tasks and requirements of the agency, but as an outside party.  I still work in the same area which is the immediate vicinity of RCBC Plaza, GT Tower, and the now demolished Shell Maya station.  From where I spend my time clicking away on my computer, only a wall separates me from my former office at GT Tower.  I am at Cityland 10 right next door.  My view now is less breathtaking seeing the Valero open carpark below me.

Work-wise, the agency calls for a meeting, and I am at the same old media conference room in a jiffy.  One elevator ride down Cityland, and one elevator ride up GT Tower.

And so it was yesterday.  I was scheduled for one of those next-door meetings at 11am when I received the text at GB3 that the meeting had to be moved up to 5pm.  Fine with me.  I could use the time in between for other matters.

At 5pm I was ready for the meeting.  Slipped down Cityland 10.  Zipped up the elevator to McCann against the flood of people from other offices within the GT Tower who were already leaving the building for a Friday night out.  Nothing really eventful. 

Upon alighting at the 33^rd, the usual after-work laughter from the pantry with the recognizable laughter of my former “area-buddy”, AVP Josette Feliciano wafting into the reception area.  "Hi-Hello-Exchange Cell Numbers" bit with Media Research head honcho, Maita Consulta.

Meeting starts at about 5:15 at the “mediacon” (media conference room).  Serious talk ensues about an upcoming campaign while the gaiety and frolic reverberates from the pantry to the “mediacon”.  As official business was fully tackled, our group inside the mediacon began to talk about one of the media planner’s “career freefall” (a.k.a. resigning without knowing what’s in store for next and all for the sake of pursuing life’s passions).  And so it was.

As we ended the meeting at about 6pm, we stepped out of the mediacon and were surprised to see almost everyone in silence.  No, it was not time to pray the Angelus (though it may have looked like it).  Silence, shock, disbelief.  All these were made clear when a planner whispered, “We lost.”

Loss referring to another round of a battle royale between UniversalMcCann and Starcom Mediavest.  At stake, the hundreds of millions of pesos in advertising money of The Coca-Cola Export Corporation.  Both agencies had prepared for this pitch for close to a month with sleepless nights and endless cups of coffee.  The regional “big-guns” were even brought in for the task.

I had to leave immediately.  My daughter was waiting for me downstairs.  And most of all, I had to just leave because I’ve seen this scene before and could not take another round of it.  Within the time I was with the agency, I  have seen how “come-from-behind” victories were wrought.  We lost San Miguel to Starcom, we lost Nestle to Optimedia, we lost Unilab to Starcom, and now we (buhay pa rin kahit papaano ang pagiging McCann ko) lose Coca-Cola to Starcom.  Among these accounts named, I was mostly involved with Coke.

It has been an eventful 24 hours.  I started the morning yesterday lightly recollecting snippets of agency life over tea, and then everything escalated from there.

‘Overwhelmed’ is not enough an adjective to describe the roller coaster ride of emotions experienced.  Arousal, Involvement (realization), Acquisition, Confirmation, Conversation.  These are what we know as the five stages of media marketing engagement in today’s highly-connected world.  The same stages describe the gamut of events which transpired yesterday.

My prayers are with my ex-colleagues.  To continue with that light conversation at GB3 yesterday morning, the postulate is, there is a silver lining in every cloud of grey that enters our life. I pray that the silver lining becomes evident at the soonest possible time in this season.

The highly charged 24 hour period ends right now as I press the "Save & Publish" button to what could be my longest blog entry so far.