Cebu Pacific is the leading airlines in the Philippines based on the number of passengers flown on its domestic and international routes. It is also known for being the pioneer of the low cost-carrier model in the country. With over 37 domestic destinations and 27 international destinations, it has the widest network of routes in the Philippines.

Cebu Pacific was also pioneered flights to Siargao island, where the Juan Effect PR campaign was launched. The brand has led the growth of tourist arrivals on the island from 9,000 passengers in 2009 when the route was launched to 96,000 passengers in 2017 or equivalent to a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 35%.

It is critical for the brand to have strong partnerships with both the local and national government in the Philippines because its business is highly regulated and affected by the government policies towards it.

Cebu Pacific passengers proudly call themselves “Juan”, in reference to “Juan de la Cruz”, a national personification of the Filipino everyman. This inspired the idea of the “Juan Effect”.

The Juan Effect Campaign is about empowering the Filipino everyman to have a big effect on the tourist destinations he visits through the small, simple actions that he commits to doing. He does not need special knowledge, skills, abilities or stature to make an impact. He isn’t a hero. He is “Juan”. He can do small things or make small changes as a traveler to make that big effect.

Cebu Pacific Airlines needed to change the perception of the local government and the local community of Siargao island about its passengers. This was something that couldn’t be addressed by traditional advertising.

The brand needed a public relations campaign that went beyond just communicating how Cebu Pacific was an airline that supported sustainable tourism. It had to turn its passengers into brand ambassadors for being responsible travelers. To do this, it had to empower them at every step of their travel journey.

The campaign started by encouraging those interested in flying to Siargao to share a pledge online to do small things with a big effect: bringing a reusable water bottle, using an ecobag, and throwing trash properly when traveling. To spread this message, zero-waste PR travel kits were sent to online influencers. Unlike the usual PR kit with so much single-use packaging, this kit and its contents were 100% eco-friendly and reusable.

Cebu Pacific also tweaked inflight games passengers enjoyed participating in to communicate the Juan Effect message. Reusable Juan Effect water bottles and metal straws were also made available inflight.

On the island, surf art murals for sustainable travel were painted on resort walls and broken surfboards were transformed into surfboard billboards reminding tourists to be responsible tourists. To enable tourists to support the island’s recycling program, especially designed receptacles for collecting plastic bottles were installed all over the island.