Tempest Advertising wins Mahyco International’s Philippines account

MUMBAI: Tempest Advertising has gone global. Its Mumbai office has secured the communication mandate for Mahyco International Pte. Ltd. (MIPL) for its Philippines business, strengthening the agency’s international business portfolio in September 2026.

The mandate saw Tempest Mumbai manage creative communication, social media and performance marketing for MIPL’s hybrid rice seed brands, MHC 2 and Ninety95, as they established their presence in the Philippines market.

The challenge was steep. The company was entering the market for the first time, with no social media presence, no audience, and no recall or recognition for the brands or the company behind them. The Philippines has the highest Facebook penetration in Southeast Asia, yet Filipino farmers are not really influenced by advertising and allied communication. A crowded platform, in other words, does not guarantee a persuadable crowd.

Tempest crafted and implemented a high-impact strategic campaign. The team deep-dived into audience research, garnered local audience insights and built the campaign for the Philippine audience, with communication customised and delivered in both Filipino and English. The focus was on building awareness and establishing familiarity for the brands among Filipino farmers. Tempest’s approach combined digital communication with locally relevant storytelling and farmer-led content to build credibility and encourage peer-led advocacy.

Through a strategic mix of awareness, engagement and lead-generation campaigns on Meta, primarily Facebook, the campaign reached 536,614 people and generated 995,875 impressions. It also recorded over 6,267 clicks and generated 110+ enquiries, demonstrating strong digital reach, audience engagement and response.

The campaign has now been completed, with the initial engagement serving as a pilot for the two brands. The learnings are expected to inform MIPL’s subsequent communication initiatives in the market.

Tempest has always partnered with organisations to create communication that strengthens engagement and builds long-term brand value. It has a proven track record of building impactful partnerships with brands and solving complex business challenges through tailor-made communication solutions.

Turab Lakdawala, managing director of Tempest Advertising, said: “The MIPL mandate is an exciting milestone for Tempest and particularly for our Mumbai office. It demonstrates our ability to take our integrated communication capabilities into international markets and support businesses as they build their presence globally.”

Aparna Nawathe, vice-president and branch head of Mumbai at Tempest Advertising, added: “Working on MIPL’s Philippines business gave us the opportunity to combine our strategic and creative capabilities with deep local audience understanding. We are proud of what the team delivered and of the trust placed in Tempest to support an international market.”

What does this add up to? Three things stand out. First, the brief was hard, and the result is respectable. Starting with no audience and no brand recall, the campaign reached 536,614 people, generated 995,875 impressions, drew over 6,267 clicks and produced 110+ enquiries. For a pilot in a sceptical farming audience, that is a useful proof of concept. Second, the method is the message. Local research, bilingual content in Filipino and English, and farmer-led storytelling all point to an agency that understands that credibility in agriculture travels from peer to peer, not from billboard to buyer. Third, the mandate is a milestone for the Mumbai office. It shows that a 28-year-old agency can carry its integrated communication skills across borders, and with the learnings from this pilot feeding into MIPL’s next moves, the relationship has room to grow.

About Tempest Advertising

Tempest Advertising is a 28-year-old advertising and communications agency offering 360-degree solutions across advertising and media, digital communication, HR communication and events. With a brand-first approach and impactful storytelling, it has a proven track record of building impactful brands. The agency works closely with organisations to solve business challenges and unlock growth through insight-led, media-agnostic solutions. With deep expertise in both digital and mainstream media, and offices across Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune, the agency continues to expand its capabilities and partnerships across markets. Tempest delivers integrated communications that drive brand relevance, differentiation and measurable impact. Over the years, Tempest has partnered with a diverse range of brands across sectors and earned a strong reputation for its work, with recognition from leading industry bodies and a portfolio of over 50 awards.