Inside the First VMAN Vanguards Club, Acer Positioned Itself at the Heart of Student Culture
At the first VMAN Vanguards Club in Manila, Acer found a natural stage to connect its campus campaign with the very generation defining style and culture today
The launch of VMAN Southeast Asia’s Television Digital Issue doubled as the debut of the VMAN Vanguards Club at Bando, the city’s first hip-hop-only venue. The gathering brought together a cross-section of Manila’s fashion and pop-culture figures, but it was also notable for the brands that chose to be part of it. Among them, Acer stood out as a clear signal of where the company sees its influence growing.
Acer’s back-to-school campaign for the hybrid student lifestyle
The event, pitched as a celebration of television’s cultural force, became a staging ground for Acer’s current campaign, #BacktoSchoolWithAcer and #AcerCampus2025. As students prepare to return to campuses across the Philippines, Acer is positioning itself as the go-to choice for technology that fits the demands of an increasingly hybrid student lifestyle.
Acer’s offer is straightforward but unusually wide-ranging: discounts of up to ₱20,000 on laptops, plus eGift rewards worth up to ₱10,000. More significantly, the brand has broken its lineup into categories that mirror the diversity of student life. The Aspire series serves the “all-rounders,” balancing coursework with streaming and hobbies. The Swift is designed for multitaskers who need a lightweight device that can move as quickly as they do. For gamers and creators, Nitro and Predator models offer high-performance capacity that can handle both content creation and competitive play.
Campaign rooted in student identity
The language of the campaign, “Your campus. Your gear. Your way.”, was echoed in the details of the Vanguards Club itself. Between the music sets and the staged moments for social media, students and young professionals used their devices to create and connect in real time. Acer’s presence underscored the idea that these tools are no longer accessories but essentials, shaping how students learn and define themselves.
Founded in 1976 and now active in more than 160 countries, Acer has consistently framed itself as a company intent on “breaking barriers between people and technology.” Its alignment with VMAN SEA, a platform spotlighting Southeast Asia’s new wave of talent, reflects a strategy that links technology to culture at its most immediate points: youth, campuses, and everyday ambition.
The Vanguards Club was billed as a landmark evening for men’s fashion and pop culture in the Philippines. For Acer, it was also a reminder that the return to school is not just about academics but about equipping students for the full spectrum of their lives: creative, digital, and beyond.
Photography Tim Dueñas
