San Marino Corned Tuna, the flagship canned tuna brand of CDO Foodsphere Inc., has earned the Gold Award for Excellence in Marketing to a Specific Audience at the 2025 Marketing Excellence Awards (MEA). This recognition highlights a campaign that resonated with Filipino consumers and embodied the brand’s enduring promise of siksik, sarap, sulit.
Recognition for Marketing Excellence
The MEA is one of the most prestigious award platforms in the region. It honors brands that demonstrate innovation, creativity, and measurable impact in marketing. Securing the Gold Award places San Marino Corned Tuna among the top brands recognized for excellence across Asia. For CDO Foodsphere, this milestone reflects more than corporate success. It also showcases the trust and loyalty Filipino consumers continue to give the brand.
The Love You Deserve Campaign
The award-winning campaign, titled “The Love You Deserve,” featured the television commercial Deserve with real-life celebrity couple Sarah Geronimo and Matteo Guidicelli. Geronimo, widely known as popstar royalty, and Guidicelli, an actor, host, producer, and businessman, brought authentic chemistry to the campaign. Their genuine interaction gave the message a natural emotional weight that connected strongly with audiences.
The campaign delivered a simple yet powerful message:
“Sa love, ‘di puwede ang kulang.”
“For me, dapat ganun din sa tuna.”
“Ang deserve mo… San Marino Corned Tuna.
Siksik. Sarap. At Sulit.”
By comparing love with food, the campaign reminded consumers that they deserve meals that are flavorful and satisfying. It encouraged families not to settle for less and to choose food that reflects the care they provide in daily life. Through this message, San Marino elevated everyday dining into an expression of love and commitment.
Staying True to the Brand Promise
San Marino Corned Tuna continues to stand out in the competitive canned goods market by focusing on product qualities that households value. Each can contains flavorful tuna with less oil, crafted to deliver the promise of siksik, sarap, sulit. This aligns with what Filipino families look for in meals—food that satisfies, delights, and provides real value.
“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.”
This recognition strengthens the brand’s position as a reliable choice for everyday dining, offering consumers a thoughtful alternative without compromising taste or quality.
Collaboration Behind the Campaign
The campaign’s success was also a result of strong collaboration with agency partners. CDO Foodsphere worked with NuWorks Interactive Labs, Inc. as lead agency handling digital, PR strategy, and counsel. InCircle managed PR execution, while UM Philippines led media planning and deployment. This combined effort ensured that the campaign message was delivered consistently across all platforms and tailored to resonate deeply with Filipino audiences.
A Validation of Consumer Connection
The MEA Gold Award validates San Marino’s focus on connecting with consumers at both emotional and practical levels. The brand’s tagline, siksik, sarap, sulit, is not just marketing language. It is a reflection of product reality that consumers can taste and see in every can.
Through this campaign, San Marino Corned Tuna reaffirmed its role in Filipino households as a brand that understands the balance of taste, value, and authenticity. The recognition stands as proof of the brand’s ongoing mission to provide meals that Filipino families deserve.
Discover the difference in every can. Follow San Marino Corned Tuna on Facebook to learn more about the brand and its products.
