MANILA, Philippines —The company behind an advertising campaign for a sleep supplement apologized to the family of the late Senate President Gil Puyat and to the Makati City government over a marketing strategy that involved changing the street name of Gil Puyat to “Gil Tulog.”
Tulog in Filipino means sleep.
In a statement on Friday night, Wellspring said offending anybody was never its intention, and the wordplay in the campaign was used solely to “draw attention to the importance of sleep.”
“We deeply apologize to the family of the late Sen. Gil Puyat for the harm and offense that the campaign has caused them,” the company said. “Rest assured that there was no intent to besmirch and disrespect his legacy.”
It also apologized to Makati Mayor Abby Binay and the people of Makati City for their “misstep.”
Wellspring said it was committed to practice better sensitivity in their advertising campaigns moving forward.
The brand’s “Gil Tulog” sign change was part of a strategy of Wellspring’s jeepney ride campaign called “Sleepneys,” which offered free rides across Makati City, including Gil Puyat Avenue. The campaign went viral on social media.
Mayor Binay took offense to the sign changes and said that her office was not consulted about it.
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