Heads up, folks! If you haven’t yet noticed, Smart’s wildly popular mobile provider Talk N Text recently went through a fresh, really dope makeover. Before, it catered to the Filipino everyman, as represented by everyone’s best friend Robin Padilla. The new Talk N Text, now dubbed TNT, finds a new audience in Generation Z – the young, the aspirational, the lovers of new experiences and seekers of fun. And, it’s not just speaking to individual customers now. It is talking to you and your Tropa.
Along with TNT’s brand-spanking new app-inspired logo and overall look, its new hit jingle, “It’s A Tropa Thing,” encapsulates exactly how the brand wants to provide value to its new target demographic. Performed brilliantly by the hitmaking duo Thyro and Yumi, with rhyme support by rapper Quest, the song sets the mood for the brand’s reinvention by emphasizing the values of friendship, social connections and a love for life.
Delivering this message are five new brand ambassadors, archetypes of the different folks that typically make up a Pinoy tropa. There is Brent Castillo, the charismatic and popular boy-next-door who stands up as the leader of the group. Playful and mischievous is Kelly Basabas, who can crush her opponents in sports as in Candy Crush. She’s a bit of a tomboy but is an unabashed daddy’s girl. Kikay cutie April Sta. Maria, on the other hand, is a single child raised like royalty but eagerly seeks out new social connections both in real life and via social media. The Tropa’s comedian is Renzo Navarro, a funny gentle giant whose size matches the bigness of his heart and whose Instagram feed resembles a restaurant menu. Last but not least is the group geek, Ian Jimenez, tech-savvy and a pop culture fan, and always the go-to guy when it comes to gadgets, games and hobbies.
With “It’s a Tropa Thing” as its rallying cry, TNT has formulated its products and promos to precisely cater to the Tropa. Starting with the TNT SIM card, you already get free seven day access to Facebook. The promo, “Babad Apps,” lets you enjoy social apps like Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram and comms apps like Viber at just P10 for three days per app. That’s an affordable way to keep in tough with your friends. There’s even the contest TNT Tropa Challenge, where your tropa can compete with other groups to win a cool million bucks and be the next TNT Tropa.
You can keep track of all these new things via the TNT website, where you can find videos of Brent and the gang showing you what you can do with the envigorated TNT, with frequent appearances by Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza. To get you started, here’s a short list of #TropaGoals you can work on.
#TropaGoal 1: Get a Group Chat Going
The best way to keep everyone in the loop on this weekend’s plans is to make all your arrangements on a single window where your entire tropa is included. Whether you use WeChat, Viber or Facebook Messenger, keeping all your suggestions and decisions in one place ensures that nobody is left behind.
#TropaGoal 2: Help a Brother/Sister Out
Running out of load at the most inopportune time is too common an occurrence but may be mitigated by knowing the quick solutions made possible by TNT. There’s TNT Pasaload Plus, which lets a friend pass you some text, data or bro packages. There is also Sakloload, which lets you borrow load from your next top-up.
#TropaGoal 3: Build a Better Clan
There’s a certain rush when you play together as a team. Get your whole tropa working side by side with the Clash of Clans 10 promo, which gives one player unlimited play for three days. At ten bucks per head, what’s not to like?
#TropaGoal 4: Snapchat Takeover
First, create a Snapchat account for your entire tropa. Share the user name and password among your members, then take turns posting videos and photos. This way, you can all share experiences even if you aren’t together. The Babad Apps promo can help you with this.
#TropaGoal 5: Join the TNT Tropa Challenge
Put your tropa to the test with this high-stakes competition. With physical, mental and online challenges for the entire tropa, this is a true test of friendship. Work together and move ahead in the competition. If you make it to the end, you just might win a million bucks. That’s a lot of spending money for a tropa trip, eh?
INQUIRER.net/Karlo Samson