TNT wins gold award at Smarties Philippines

Philstar.com

October 19, 2026 | 10:00am

MANILA, Philippines — TNT, the value brand of Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart), has won a gold award at the recent Smarties Philippines for its network campaign under the Creator/Influencer/Celebrity Marketing (Impact Marketing) category. 

The Smarties Philippines is a marketing awards program that recognizes innovative and effective campaigns that demonstrate meaningful impact for brands and businesses.

Launched in February 2026, TNT’s award-winning campaign was developed with Ace Saatchi & Saatchi, with Wavemaker Philippines – WPP Media as the media agency. It featured paranormal expert and content creator Ed Caluag, who brought TNT’s network benefit to life through an entertaining story inspired by his popular ghost-hunting content.

The campaign tackled one of the most frustrating experiences for mobile users, network lag, by taking it into an unexpected setting: a haunted house.

In the campaign video, Ed investigates paranormal activity while livestreaming his experience, only to have his encounters with the ghosts repeatedly interrupted by lag. The increasingly frustrated ghosts eventually turn the tables on Ed, creating a humorous way for TNT to highlight the importance of a responsive and reliable mobile connection.

The creative idea was built around TNT’s recognition for having the Best Mobile Latency in the Philippines in the Ookla Speedtest Awards, translating the technical benefit of low latency into a situation that audiences could easily understand and enjoy.

“This recognition reflects how we continue to find fresh and engaging ways to bring TNT’s brand promise to life. By combining the authenticity and entertainment value of creator content with the strength of our network, we were able to turn a common frustration into a story that Filipinos could relate to and enjoy,” said Lloyd Manaloto, FVP and OIC for Smart.

Premiering on Ed Caluag’s own digital platforms, the campaign was subsequently amplified across Meta, Google, YouTube and TikTok, generating over 659 million impressions and extending the campaign’s reach among mobile-first Filipinos.

The Smarties Gold adds to TNT’s growing body of work that combines its fun and entertaining brand personality with meaningful product and service messages. It also reinforces the value of collaborating with creators not simply as endorsers, but as partners in developing stories that can make technical benefits more accessible and relevant to consumers.

The award comes as TNT and Smart continue to roll out their 5G network across the countryand earn recognition for their network performance.

Ookla recently recognized Smart with the Best Mobile Video Experience award in the Philippines, further underscoring the network’s ability to deliver a smooth mobile experience for Filipinos who increasingly rely on their smartphones for video streaming, entertainment and other digital activities.

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