Confessions Of A Marketing Addict

Airlines and Customer Service

2011-01-10T13:36:00.002+08:00

Airlines and Customer Service

I don’t know what makes the Philippine airline industry think that stunts like Cebu Pacific’s dancing flight attendants or SEAir’s flying Santas are clever marketing ideas that can enhance their passengers’ flight experience.

I love SEAir's concept of gift giving but the dancing and sexy Santa costumes just killed the good intention. Despite being entertaining, both do nothing to enhance their brands or customer experience.

Worst, it greatly diminishes the worth of a flight attendant. As it is, people already look down on flight attendants as being glorified waiters or waitresses. With this, it now reduces them to the level of striptease dancers. Unfair, really, because flight attendants put their lives at risk each time they fly and they have to put up with so much BS from travelers.

I’m all for providing creative and memorable customer experiences but this is not the way to go. Unless transforming your brand into a joke is your definition of memorable, then – yeah, it’s memorable, alright.

Excellent customer service is simply a matter of knowing your customers – their needs, wants and expectations – and finding ways to meet those. If you can, exceed it.

For an airline, customer service is about getting those blasted planes to depart and arrive safely and on time. It’s making the effort to exhaust all means to inform ALL your passengers that their flights are delayed. If it is, then, airline customer service includes ensuring your passengers do not endure unspeakable torture as they wait. Don’t do a Continental Airlines on them especially when it’s the holiday season.

I’ve been on my share of many delayed flights. But while I appreciate the airlines’ effort at providing me with food, it would’ve been nice if the food they provided is not some unidentifiable slush that merely pretends to be food. Really, that was chicken?

And if the delay requires I will be stranded overnight, provide me with decent accommodations for free. A cot in Les Miserables Hotel is not decent accommodation. Free does not mean a cockroach-infested bathroom and toilet. In the first place, it isn’t even my fault the flight was delayed. If you maintained your planes using the right technology and equipment instead of gluing the wings together with bubblegum, then, the flight wouldn’t be delayed now, would it?

Exceeding passengers’ flight expectations means providing everyone with a blanket regardless of their location on the plane. First class passengers may have 500 thread count Egyptian cotton while coach travelers will have to make do with paper-thin blankets but everyone should get a blanket. You don’t let a person freeze in unholy airconditioning just because he doesn’t have the money to cough up for a first class seat.

It would also be nice if pilots learned to speak like normal human beings instead of sounding like robots. “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. We are now cruising at an altitude of chuva feet and expecting turbulence over the Bermuda Triangle.” Hello. What is it you’re trying to tell me exactly? That we’re not about to shoot off into outer space or we’re kissing the side of a mountain soon? Before the advent of robotic call center agents, there were pilots first.

If airline regulations do not prohibit flight attendants from dancing their way through airline safety regulations, could we not find a better way for pilots to recite their required spiel without it sounding like gibberish? And while we’re at it - try not to sound bored and sleepy as you’re talking to me, Captain, because, really, that’s just very scary coming from a pilot flying a plane in total darkness.

Those are just some areas where airlines can improve to provide travelers with a memorable experience. If you can’t provide memorable, decent is expected.

Whatever it is you choose, a half-naked gyrating flight attendant is not and should not be a part of that deal.

Can you imagine if the plane crashes in an ocean? What’s Sexy Santa going to do? Haul me to safety as parts of her bikini begin falling apart? Who will she save first – me or her dignity? In Lost, no one is ever naked so I highly doubt that Sexy Santa would save me first. However, everyone is always half-naked on Survivor so who knows.

Or, she might not even be able to save me at all because she will freeze to death the instant her half-naked sexy self hits the water. And then, it’ll just be me and Orca. Thank you for flying Chuva Airline where we don’t prioritize your safety but we can certainly provide pole dancers.

On the other hand, I love what Span-Air did for their passengers traveling overnight last Christmas Eve from Madrid to Las Palmas. Watch the video and learn. Now, THAT's a creative and tasteful way of exceeding customers' expectations. Kudos to Span-Air!

I don’t understand why customer service has to be so agonizing for some companies and industries. It’s not like you need a degree in Aeronautics Engineering to get it.

The Curse Of The Marketing Budget

2011-01-10T13:03:00.005+08:00

The Curse of the Marketing Budget

I read in many survey results and research studies that marketing budgets are expected to increase in 2011. The bulk of the increase will come from a surge in digital media and advertising spend.

I wonder which planet these surveys were conducted in.

For many years now, marketing budgets are always expected to increase especially in areas that currently fascinate marketers. Right now, it’s social media so everyone is saying they’re increasing their budgets to engage in social media.

Again, which planet were these surveys conducted in?

In all my years in marketing (Gawd, I sound ancient!), I have yet to experience these so-called increases in marketing budgets. It’s not just me, Virginia. It’s an entire barangay of us who would rather be shot to death than admit in polite society that, no, we are not having an increase in our marketing budgets. In fact, we’re not even having a marketing budget at all!

God forbid that you should be the only marketing executive on the planet without an increase in the incoming year’s marketing budget.

I – and most of my breed – usually experience increases in marketing budgets as a result of FOREX fluctuations. Of course, I have a higher budget now compared to the previous year. In case you have not heard yet, gas is expected to hit $4 per gallon in 2011. Whatever increases I have in my marketing budgets, I have the global economy to thank for. Not the kindness, generosity or foresight of any CEO, COO or CFO.

Were it up to any of them, I would not have any marketing budget to speak of at all. This, despite the enthusiastic reactions to strategic marketing plans conceptualized, reviewed and approved during budget negotiations. In my heart of hearts, I really think that strategic planning sessions are valid reasons to go on an executive junket.

Enthusiasm lasts for only 5 minutes. Then, reality sets in and everything just becomes ugly.

“7% out of total corporate revenue for your marketing budget?! Whaddahell?!” Excuse me, CEO. There are no more trees now, you know. So, yes, my posters and leaflets will cost more.

“Isn’t there a way to cut this?!” And they look at the offending report like a rattlesnake about to bite them. Of course, we can find a way. For instance, we can just sit here in the boardroom, push some figures around, eat a lot of pizza and leave it all up to God. I don’t mind doing that because, frankly, that would’ve been the easiest way for me to earn my professional fee.

"We cannot spend this much on marketing because we're earmarking a huge chunk for other investments and CAPEX." Ay ambot. Here we go again with the which-comes-first-the-chicken-or-egg situation.

“Use Facebook and Twitter so we can cut advertising and PR spend.” It is at these moments that I truly hate all those self-proclaimed, self-righteous so-called social media gurus. A pox on all of you for planting this inside CEOs’ brains!

A) Social media is not cheap nor is it free. Not in the real sense of the word, free, anyway. Somehow, somewhere, engaging in social media will incur costs because it’s labor intensive. That means, we hire or designate someone to oversee and manage our social media presence. We just do not create a social media profile and expect God to turn it into wine for us. This is not Cana.

And, FYI, there are now planned across-the-board wage increases so that pretty much kills your hiring budget for the year.

B) Social media, when used correctly, is an effective marketing tool. However, social media needs to be augmented by other marketing tactics. And all of them require money. Cue music, Abba: Money, money…

I get scared of CEOs and COOs who readily sign off on a marketing budget. No violent reactions, very few questions – ay. Be afraid. Be very afraid. That marketing budget will never happen, trust me. That usually means they’re just happy to know they didn’t hire a brainless twit for a marketing consultant because – look! She can compute for an intelligent marketing budget and actually knows how to defend it.

Even with a signed and approved marketing budget, be prepared to do battle for every marketing activity you want to implement.

“Where are we getting the money for this?!” On Page 52 with Appendix 6-1 to support it, you have agreed to implement this campaign because we are targeting projected incremental revenue of x% for this quarter. And you thrust his powerful COO signature to his face, the one he signed with flourish using his expensive Montblanc. “Go talk to the CFO first.” AGAIN?! Argh.

“Sun, isn’t there a way we can do this without spending?” I cannot walk on water. I would dearly love to except God said I cannot be perfect.

If you’re launching new products, good luck. You will need it. And if I was you, I’d already book my favorite masseuse for a year because you’re not just entering a battle, you’re waging a war.

Ultimately, marketing budgets are simply guides that you refer to regularly so you don’t empty company coffers unwittingly. Don’t get drunk over the fact that your CEO approved a 10% increase versus last year’s budget. That’s just a myth created to make you feel useful and productive.

Happy new year.

When Client-Consultant Relationships Go Awry

2010-11-29T11:33:00.004+08:00

When Client-Consultant Relationships Go Awry

How sad that Yoly Ong’s reaction eclipsed her explanation for the flop that was Pilipinas Kay Ganda.

As I explained in this post written before Ms. Ong’s reaction –you may give your clients the best recommendations your expertise can provide but if the client refuses to follow or even consider these, there’s not much a consultant can do about it. It’s their company and money, not yours. They answer to the Board and shareholders, you don’t. You don’t run this country; the Aquino administration does.

I wish Yoly Ong simply wrote down the explanation she gave to Stella Arnaldo sans the hysterics she made on her Philippine Star column. Maybe, if she did, people who are clueless about the client-agency process would understand exactly what led to the now infamous tourism controversy. Who knows, maybe they would’ve been more forgiving had she tried to explain instead of going on the offensive.

As it is, she wrote a piece that struck many as bitter, arrogant and kinda weird with all its implications of a conspiracy against PNoy’s government by pro-Arroyo groups aka Gruesome Malicious Army in Yoly Ong’s world? Is it remotely impossible to accept that people just truly hated that tourism campaign without even thinking of GMA?

That Logo

Campaigns and Grey has a foreign parent, the Grey Group. I doubt that the Grey Group would allow any of their foreign partners to risk their own global reputation by plagiarizing something so blatantly.

In advertising, they call “getting inspiration” from the Polska logo for Pilipinas Kay Ganda as a peg. In most advertising materials, I provide agencies with a peg so that they understand better what I’m trying to convey on my creative briefs.

I’m not a graphic artist nor am I the most creative or artistic person on earth. There’s a picture in my mind of how my marketing material should look like but, often, I cannot express that picture in ways my agency would understand. So I provide them with a peg. It is not for them to copy but it is for them to – you got it! – draw inspiration. That way, they can take the photo from my mind and translate it into a material that I feel will best help achieve my marketing objectives.

The logo of Pilipinas Kay Ganda is a design cliché. If you search on Google images for tourism logos, you’d find quite a lot that share the same look, tone and feel. Any country that offers beaches and a tropical climate to tourists almost always carries the same logo design elements – colorful and funny looking fonts, waves, sun, coconuts.

But why did Campaigns and Grey create such a crappy logo? Probably because they were limited also by the client’s creative guidelines.

Admittedly, Campaigns and Grey should’ve done better as far as creative interpretation was concerned. But when a client tells you he wants a smiling sun and tarsier on his logo, there’s not much creative freedom you have considering client also happens to be the President of the Philippines.

And this is why clients (including myself) should really keep our hands off the creative process once it’s in the ad agency’s hands. Because what we know about design can only fit our thumbnails.

I’ve had millions of arguments with clients about the design of their marketing materials but if a client has decided to use orange (and never mind that it’s blinding orange on a neon blue background), the possibility of you changing his mind is very nil. At best, you can block the production of the offending marketing material but even that is a long shot.

When client has made up his mind, client has made up his mind. End of story.

Rushing The Process

Again, this is not unusual for clients. Today, they will tell you they want a new product launched in 6 months. At your next meeting, your 6 months has turned to 3. You work like a nut trying to beat your 3-month deadline. Then, as you’re about to produce your marketing materials, client either revises the Final Artwork (FA), changes his mind about the design altogether or just puts the project on hold indefinitely.

It is not unheard of for clients to already have a brand name and no product in sight. Others already have logos mounted on giant billboards only to remove those later because consumer feedback towards it was horrible. Some have thousands of marketing materials produced and, yet, never used.

I’m not surprised that Campaigns and Grey did not know the launch was going to be a grand one. Clients rarely tell their agencies exactly what their companies are doing. Heck, they don’t even tell their marketing consultant everything so why should they tell their agencies anything? It’s a very James Bond attitude that is typical of clients.

The Budget

People are horrified at the approximately P3.5 million price tag of the launch. In events marketing, that amount is nothing if client wants to produce a grand affair.

Food and drinks alone will eat a huge chunk of your budget. If it’s a glitzy affair like a launch where all of the clients’ business partners and VIP friends are invited, the open bar with many pricey drinks can run up to several zeroes already. If you had hors’ d’oeuvres created by any top chef, you can bet that those tiny canapés will put a giant crater on clients’ pockets.

Then, there’s the production crew itself which is separate from the events crew. How much is the cost of an AVP nowadays? Easily P300,000. You don’t get that for free just because your agency created your other marketing materials. Clients pay for every adaptation of the creative design they approved.

It’s a launch so you need performers. How much is the talent fee for well-known entertainment personalities these days? These people are not going to come to your launch without getting paid. I know of a major company that paid P420, 000 to a well-known TV personality to host their marketing roll-out which lasted only 4 hours. Yes, Virginia, P420k for 4 hours and he read everything from a cue card.

So, yeah, while P3.5 million is an amount that can feed several poor communities already, it’s an amount many companies are willing to incur for their product launches especially if that product is expected to generate a lot of revenue.

Yoly Ong should have just said: “This is what happened. We take responsibility for our share of the fiasco. We apologize for it.” Period.

If I Were The DOT Secretary...(Part 2)

2010-11-29T11:29:00.001+08:00

If I Were The DoT Secretary…(Part 2)

Short term, I would continue using Wow Philippines: More Than The Usual.

There is nothing wrong with using an old marketing campaign especially if the marketing materials that go with it remain relevant and effective. David Guerrero’s body of work for Wow Philippines can stand the test of time. Unless we’re planning to colonize another country or an undiscovered underwater volcano suddenly erupts creating another island or Malaysia will suddenly return Borneo to us, I highly doubt that the claim of 7,100 islands will be obsolete anytime soon.

To be an effective marketing strategist, you don’t always have to conceptualize a revolutionary campaign. Revolutionary is great but hey! How many of us are gifted Promil babies? Besides, what will you do with revolutionary if it doesn’t work? As long as your marketing campaign achieves what it sets out to do, you’re in good shape.

The money we can save by using Wow Philippines can be put to use in another part of the DOT’s marketing campaign. We spent all that money for Guerrero to produce his stunning work so we should maximize it. It’s not exactly cheap to shoot aerial shots. It certainly isn’t cheap to produce a commercial.

It’s not like Wow Philippines was a major flop. It wasn’t. It doesn’t have negative recall. In fact, its only problem really is that it has minimal recall because it wasn’t promoted aggressively. So, promote it aggressively now. Go back to the campaign’s marketing plan and review where you went wrong with the implementation.

With the money we save from conceptualizing a new campaign, we can, among other things:

Join more international trade and travel expos.
Organize more fam tours and press junkets for the international and local press.
Host major local and international events that will significantly increase awareness for the Philippines as a tourist destination.
Tap new distribution channels and revive old ones.
Launch an exciting promo.
Develop a better website.
Train more people in the tourism and tourism-support industries to help us deal with tourists’ needs and expectations.

There is no shame in using another DOT secretary’s campaign especially if it still works.

If I Were Tourism Secretary...(Part 1)

2010-11-23T18:05:00.005+08:00

If I Were Tourism Secretary...(Part 1)

Long term, I would set up an office under the DoT whose sole purpose is the creation, marketing and protection of Brand Philippines. Many countries already do that. The DoT has many departmental concerns to address and the marketing of Brand Philippines is only one of them. Creating and protecting Brand Philippines is a gargantuan task that requires a number of people dedicated only to doing that function.

I’d commission an intensive market research that includes a brand audit. How does the global community view the Philippine brand? Where are we now in their minds? Find answers to all the basic marketing and branding questions that is needed in order to conceptualize a new marketing campaign.

I would review past tourism marketing campaigns. Figure out what worked and what didn’t. Go to my tourism data and analyze it in terms of the current situation. Have a discussion with my boss regarding his tourism vision. Talk to stakeholders and get their visions for their own companies or organizations. That way, when I conceptualize my marketing strategy, I can align it with their visions so that it becomes a win-win reality for everybody.

I’d require an inventory of our tourism assets. What do we have now that tourists can appreciate? What else can we offer them? What are we prepared to offer them? What we have and what we are prepared to offer are 2 different things. We may have a fabulous virgin beach but we might not want tourists trampling through that. If we don’t want to sell it, don’t market it. We don’t have to sell every conceivable tourism asset we have. We just have to choose which brings the most ROI to us.

If we want to offer something new, are we prepared to make the proper investments for it? Is it even profitable to create this new tourism offering? For a time, everyone wanted to construct a wakeboarding facility following CamSur’s success. Why would you even offer that if your area has the Pacific Ocean in front of you? It is a costly endeavor to turn a weakness into strength. Instead, turn what you have into a unique advantage or create a stronger position than your competitors.

I would conceptualize a strategic tourism marketing plan based on the intensive market research done, our tourism asset inventory, the tourism data we have, lessons learned from past tourism campaigns and the vision of all stakeholders. Needless to say, the strategic tourism marketing plan would include all the basics: external analysis; internal analysis; competitive analysis; identification, definition and segmentation of target markets; forecasts; revenue computations; distribution channels; communications plan; tactics; controls; monitoring; etc. etc. etc.

I’d prepare the product. You cannot implement a marketing plan if your product is not ready or does not exist. The product in this case is the Philippines, the Philippine government, the Philippine business community and the Filipino people. We talk about the revenue that tourism will bring. Are we prepared to pay the price that tourism revenue will create?

We scoff at our 3 million visitors when compared to other Asian countries. If we target 10 million tourists, do we have it in us to deliver a memorable Philippine experience to them? A huge figure on one’s forecast looks wonderful on paper but reality can bite when it actually happens. Oscar Wilde says, “When the gods want to punish us, they answer our prayers.” We should all think about that first before we target huge numbers of tourist arrivals.

Then, I will go to my creative team and task them to execute the campaign’s communications plan which should include a brand manual. Marketing materials including the logo and slogan is useless without a solid marketing strategy behind it that’s ably supported by all the stakeholders. The logo and slogan is the least of our concerns if we do not have a marketing plan yet. Both are simply results of a marketing strategy. You do not begin your strategy by conceptualizing marketing materials because how would you know what you should create that your target market would find appealing enough to try?

After which, I shall test all my communications materials. I’d send my marketing plan to my boss for review and approval. I’d ask for the marketing budget I stipulated to implement it.

Only then will I have my P3.5 million marketing roll-out.

The marketing process does not end with the launch. The launch simply signals the beginning of the more challenging part – implementation. Ultimately, all marketing activities (branding, advertising, PR, etc, etc, etc) should result to only one thing: revenue. That is the only objective of marketing and the only measure of its success. In marketing, awards don’t mean anything if ROI is not achieved.

No, it takes more than 4 months to pull this off. Most likely, we will not see the results until the end of this administration’s term. If we strategize well and implement it properly, it is the next administration that will actually reap the benefits of our strategic tourism marketing plan.

Yes, it’s a bitter pill to swallow but such is marketing. The human brain will accept what it wants to accept when it is ready to do so and not a moment before.

A national tourism marketing campaign is a mammoth task whose sheer complexity cannot be conveyed by a mere blog post or 140 Twitter characters. Whether we like it or not, there is a marketing process to be followed. To circumvent that process will simply lead to another mess and a useless waste of taxpayers’ money.

Could I do a better job than any DoT secretary we’ve had including Bert Lim? Hell, no. For a campaign of this magnitude, you need political muscle. I don’t know politics and Botox is expensive.

Ouch! Marketing Lessons To Learn

2010-11-20T21:19:00.002+08:00

Ouch! Marketing Lessons To Learn

When the marketing process is circumvented, the result is usually a mess. Such is the case of the ongoing controversial Philippine tourism marketing campaign, Pilipinas Kay Ganda.

Campaigns and Grey already came out with their official statement. Using that, here are some tips to help you avoid the same mess:

Tip No. 1: Campaigns & Grey was called by DOT for advice on a new branding exercise.

Campaigns and Grey is, first and foremost, an advertising agency. They may be highly adept at marketing having handled countless branding projects – still, advertising remains their forte, not marketing management.

Here’s an example of the differences in the advertising and marketing DNA:

When confronted with declining sales, the ad guy would recommend a print ad, brochure, website or TV commercial to arrest the decline. For marketing people, however, producing marketing materials as a way of addressing sales concerns is not an automatic reaction. Instead, they will take it as an opportunity to launch a promo, widen territories, evaluate the efficiency of the sales team or recommend the purchase of more delivery trucks.

A marketing person may be creative and highly adept at using various computer graphics programs. But, he would most likely be incapable of creating a material that his target market will find appealing enough to induce him to buy. An ad guy, however, would know which colors work best for a certain demographic or the proper placement of design elements that would register better in the consumer’s mind.

The expected output from advertising is a creative material designed to help achieve marketing objectives. From marketing, there can only be one output and objective – revenue.

To embark on a successful marketing campaign, you need both – the marketing strategist and the ad agency. For a marketing campaign as massive as the DOT’s, you cannot replace one with the other. No matter what other experts say, one’s expertise is not enough to make up for the loss of the other IF it is a huge campaign. Of course, if it’s a small campaign or business, the story is altogether different.

Tip No. 2: We were still owed by the past administration for services rendered. Our love for country prevailed.

Love can only get you so far. After which, you must pay and be paid. Patriotism cannot buy groceries.

Tip No. 3: Our work was merely to establish preliminary strategic directions.

Clients should set their own preliminary strategic directions because it is they who know best their vision for their company. Your consultants don’t know everything about your organization so don’t be a lazy CEO and just leave everything to them.

Tip No. 4: There was a pressing need for exploratory concepts to be shown in some travel industry events.

Make a strategic marketing plan for at least 3 years. Make another marketing plan that’s only good for the current year. That way, you can allocate your resources efficiently and employ tactics that can maximize it. Your marketing plan, however, should be flexible so that it can quickly respond to the constant changes in market movements, the economy and consumer behavior.

Tip No. 5: We warned the client that we were taking too many shortcuts.

If you’re just going to ignore your consultant’s advice, don’t bother hiring a consultant at all. You’re simply wasting their time and your valuable resources.

Tip No. 6: But it was agreed that there will be a proper market research where multiple concepts will be thoroughly tested among the target market i.e. North America, Korea, Japan, China etc.

Marketing strategies are based on market research data. Without that data, your marketing plan will be an exercise in trial and error. Not only will you be wasting money but you also run the risk of pissing off your target market forever.

Tip No. 7: We did not have a contract nor did we receive a single centavo.

Accepting pro bono work is not an excuse for mediocrity. Pro bono or not, your reputation is still at stake. Rather than jeopardize it, do your job well. Free service is not a license for clients to treat consultants like slaves by being demanding and abusive. Exercise restraint.

Tip No. 8: We were directed to use the Polska logo for inspiration.

The creative direction you provide your ad agency with is based on a marketing strategy which, in turn and among other things, is based on your target market’s profile.

So if you use the Polska logo as inspiration (or a peg as we call it), the assumption is that you’re going after a similar target market to Poland’s. Otherwise, there’s no sense in using Poland’s logo as a peg if your target market is different from theirs. Which then begs asking: Who goes to Poland? Why would tourists going to Poland want to go to the Philippines as well?

Creating a logo is not simply a matter of choosing nice fonts and colors. There’s an entire marketing process that leads to it.

Tip No. 9: We ourselves were shocked at the grand scale of what was supposed to be a mere glimpse to draw out a constructive exchange among industry partners.

Don’t abandon your client as he walks down the valley of death. Provide an exit strategy for both of you (one that doesn’t sound lame) in case of emergency. Your reputation is intertwined with his so don’t let the mob hang him because so shall they hang the consultant who, in their opinion, led his client to make that horrendous decision.

Tip No. 10: We shall take this experience as a cautionary tale against giving in to the client and allowing their over‐enthusiasm to override our better judgment.

Clients will continue to do what clients want to do despite the recommendations of their consultants. You cannot “allow” them to do anything. Such is life and life goes on.

The Sad Reality of Client-Consultant Relationships

2010-11-19T12:03:00.006+08:00

The Sad Reality Of Client-Consultant Relationships

Yoly Ong or Campaigns and Grey are not to be blamed solely for the mess that is Pilipinas Kay Ganda.

First, she did pro bono work, people. True, no matter what the circumstances, we should all deliver our best job performance. Still, it’s pro bono and we have to understand that, in pro bono work, certain situations that would normally apply to paying clients don’t work here.

With paying clients, a contract exists to protect both you and your client. With pro bono, there is no contract so everything is fair game. Pro bono work can be tricky and, for any consultant, it ultimately feels like you’re stuck in a bad relationship with an abusive boyfriend.

Second, a consultant’s primary responsibility is to make the client aware of the pros and cons of each option. Then, based on what you say, the client will choose which option will work best for his company. A consultant cannot force a client to act on her recommendations. Client decisions may go against our expert judgment but, at the end of the day, it’s not our company and we do not answer to shareholders and the Board. They do.

So if Yoly Ong warned the DOT that it is premature to launch Pilipinas Kay Ganda and the DOT ignored her advice, there’s not much that she can do.

Third, it is the nature of consultancy that you often end up being crucified for your clients’ decisions. As a consultant, you only answer to the CEO or COO. The rest of the human race is not privy to your discussions and the debate that led to a decision. Your NDA prevents you from discussing what went on inside the corner office.

People, therefore, tend to blame the consultant for leading their fearless leader down the wrong path without realizing that it is their leader who made that informed choice, not the consultant.

We blame Campaigns and Grey for the disaster that is Pilipinas Kay Ganda. To a point, they are to be blamed but only where the creative aspect is concerned. However, the decision to launch and the choice of strategy behind that campaign rests solely on the DOT. If the DOT and PNoy insists, again, there is nothing that Yoly Ong can do. They run the country, she doesn’t.

Fourth, Campaigns and Grey can only make recommendations based on what the DOT gives them. If the DOT gave data that only pertains to the top destination origins for tourist arrivals to the Philippines, the agency can only recommend and execute a campaign that targets that market. The other segments will remain untapped and some niches will remain undiscovered.

Fifth – and this is the most crucial of all – marketing and advertising are not one and the same nor are they interchangeable.

Advertising – which forms part of a marketing plan’s communications strategy – is a tactic of marketing. You cannot get to a communications plan – which is where advertising, logos and slogans fall under – without a marketing strategy in place.

Ergo, a marketing expert is needed to create a strategic marketing campaign. After which, she passes the communications plan (by way of an advertising or PR brief) to the ad agency, publicist or communications expert for conceptualization and execution. The creative brief, of course, is based on the communications plan which is just one part of a marketing plan.

You do not create a logo and conceptualize a tagline first, then, figure out how you will use it and on whom. Many clients make that mistake. The logo comes first without even knowing who it’s for and why. Then, somewhere along the way, they refine their marketing strategies making it imperative to create a new logo that would fit those strategies. That’s marketing budget gone to waste, people.

Your advertising agency cannot double as your marketing strategist because their expertise lies in…hello, advertising. While agency people can give their inputs on your marketing campaign, again – they are not privy to everything that your client gives you. For instance, revenues and forecasts that cannot be divulged unless authorized by your client. That data directly affects your marketing strategies which, in turn, affects your communications plan that dictates the creative brief you pass on to your creative team. See the process?

On top of Campaigns and Grey, the DOT should have hired marketing experts to handle the Philippines’ strategic tourism marketing plan. PNoy should have appointed a DOT secretary who has a solid marketing management background preferably gained from the tourism industry. If not, at least someone who possesses the ability to absorb fast the principles of marketing management and destination marketing.

In addition, it is not the job of your ad agency to analyze a P&L statement – something that you, as a marketing consultant – should be highly adept at. Likewise, marketers should keep their hands off the creative process the moment it’s already in the hands of their ad agency.

Unfortunately, the corporate reality now is that there is virtually no marketing budget to speak of. On paper, you’ve got millions of pesos to work with. Try actually using those millions to produce marketing materials and your CFO will suddenly metamorphose into Damien Thorne.

Marketers are now forced to double as graphic designers because – well, you know Adobe Photoshop anyway. You’re creative so let’s save on marketing budget and, instead of hiring an agency, just do it yourself. And since you need to launch that campaign or else you risk not hitting your revenue targets, you’re forced to go the DIY route. Instead of doing your primary job which is to strategize and execute your marketing campaign, you spend your time running after suppliers, DIY photo shoots and beating your computer senseless as you grapple with the technical intricacies of Photoshop.

Ad agencies, on the other hand, are forced to double as marketing strategists because marketers are no longer passing on work to them. They’re battling it out there with freelancers whose fees are way lower than an agency’s. The only edge that ad agencies can now offer clients is their ability to conceptualize branding strategies which freelancers are not adept at.

And that’s how you end up with mediocrity. Because you’ve got 2 different experts trying to do each other’s job on top of their own so they can earn a living.

The design cliché that is Pilipinas Kay Ganda can be blamed on Campaigns and Grey because, as an ad agency, they should not be churning out mediocre designs. However, the approval of that design and its subsequent launch is not Campaigns and Grey’s fault. That honor belongs solely to the DOT.

Pilipinas Kay Ganda: Much Ado About A Logo And Slogan

2010-11-18T21:06:00.009+08:00

Pilipinas KayGanda: Much Ado About A Logo And Slogan

The thing that really bothers me the most about the uproar generated by Pilipinas Kay Ganda does not lie in the campaign’s weak marketing foundation or its logo that, by the way, is such a design cliché.

I’m bothered that everyone thinks that all a marketing campaign needs to succeed is a slogan and a logo.

A catchy slogan does not build a brand. A powerful logo is not the only reason why consumers would buy into a brand. A brand is more than its tagline and logo.

To believe that all we need is a catchy slogan for tourists to come in droves (or for buyers to wipe items off grocery shelves) is to belittle and disrespect the marketing process. On its own, a logo and tagline cannot succeed without a powerful marketing strategy behind it.

Marketing is more than creating a logo and coming up with a tagline.

We should be evaluating and criticizing Pilipinas Kay Ganda not solely on the merits of its logo and tagline but on the marketing strategy these two things were built on. Before a logo and tagline can happen, there must first be a marketing strategy.

Pilipinas Kay Ganda has a weak tagline and logo because it is founded on a weak marketing strategy. That the strategy does not match the target market or the campaign’s marketing objective is obvious. But, perhaps, the more important question should be: what was the marketing process that the DOT followed to come up with that concept?

With so many marketing and advertising experts on board the Aquino administration, one of them should have found the balls to tell Bernie Lim that, in marketing, one does not test a campaign via a grand marketing roll-out. Because if it should fail (and it did), it will bite you in the ass so badly, you won’t be able to sit down for a year. In addition, you’re also wasting marketing budget.

If their intention was to test the logo and tagline, the DOT should have done it quietly. Or, at least, someone should have told them to. It’s not like the Aquino administration has a dearth of well-meaning friends in the marketing and advertising industry.

A grand party with full media coverage does not a soft launch or preview make. That is the stuff of marketing roll-outs, no matter what the DOT or their marketing consultants say.

Bernie Lim says that the DOT can pull out the logo and tagline should the Korean and American market fail to find it appealing. In theory, you can. In marketing reality, there is no such thing as a second first impression. Perhaps, instead of being so enamored by Simon Anholt alone, the DOT people should have first read Kotler’s basic marketing management as well as Al Ries’ Immutable Laws of Marketing.

That the DOT cannot even properly follow the most basic marketing process of identifying and defining their target market is a cause for concern. Because if you are unable to do this, you will also be unable to go to the next marketing step – conceptualizing a marketing strategy that would help you achieve your marketing objectives.

Of course the DOT does not know their target market. Otherwise, why should there still be a need to determine what appeals to these segments when the marketing campaign is already being launched?

Lim says Pilipinas Kay Ganda is a risky campaign. Because it uses Tagalog? Risky was Ace Durano’s digital marketing campaign that even went as far as creating a virtual island on Second Life (SL). Admittedly, many people (including myself) did not find those animated commercials appealing. Let’s not even go into Apl.De.Ap and his Giling Girl, please. Still, Ace Durano dared to go where no other tourism secretary would. You have to commend the guy for making that ballsy move.

Maybe, Lim meant that his campaign is risky because there’s a slight innuendo behind Pilipinas Kay Ganda. This is not risky; this is sheer stupidity. Unless we are targeting sexual perverts to visit our country and encouraging the prostitution of our women, we should not even be breathing anywhere near a campaign that carries the slightest sexual hint. Among other things, our nation’s brand should stand on our national pride. There is no pride when our own government tries to sell our women and being cute about it.

The DOT couldn’t even be bothered to check the domain name they chose, another basic in internet marketing. Had they done so, they would have seen immediately the possible links to porn sites. Even their website did not follow the basics of web design and management. How can you upload content you have not checked, verified, edited and proofread?

Lim claims that no single centavo was spent on the Pilipinas Kay Ganda logo and tagline. Honey, it’s obvious.

You want brilliant work? Then be prepared to pay and pay seriously. If you don’t want to, then be prepared as well to defend garbage like Pilipinas Kay Ganda. And, FYI. Paying the right professional fees to qualified marketing experts for them to handle our tourism campaign is part of the marketing process.

Dick Gordon had David Guerrero execute his Wow Philippines campaign. 8 years later, Guerrero’s More Than The Usual continues to resonate. It remains our most powerful tourism marketing campaign. Guerrero is one of Asia’s most sought after advertising mind. So unless he did that campaign out of the goodness of his heart, I’m guessing Dick Gordon paid handsomely for Guerrero’s services. And it was worth every single hard-earned centavo of my tax money.

According to Lim, they did not want to use Wow Philippines because “we need to launch a new brand, kasabay ng bagong administrasyon.” Sigh. You do not launch a new brand because there’s a new CEO. You launch one because your strategic marketing plan calls for it. Can we please do things for the right reasons?

Did you and your team even attempt to go through the motions of a strategic marketing planning session, Mr. Lim? And if you did, pray tell, how ever did you do it? Because had you done it right, the disaster that was your marketing launch would never have happened. That disastrous logic would never have been uttered by you because you would have realized beforehand that saying it simply paints the Aquino administration as childish and petty. A rep your boss will not appreciate, I’m sure.

Ultimately, this is not just a case of a logo and a tagline gone awry. This is a case of a failure to understand what marketing is truly about.

How To Hire A Marketing Director

2010-04-19T14:46:00.003+08:00

How to Hire A Marketing Director

Yes, she is alive! LOL! Ok, I've been a lazy blogger.

Thank you to Inc.'s "How to Hire a Marketing Director" for inspiring me to write a blog post after 10 million years.

So - you've decided to hire a Marketing Director, Chief Marketing Officer or Marketing Consultant. Who and how to hire? The who part, I can answer. The how requires an HR expert which I am obviously not.

First of all, don't hire a CMO, marketing director or marketing consultant just because everyone says you should. Of course, you really should. As your company or business grows, you will need to hire a marketing professional to set marketing strategies and manage marketing needs.

However! If you are hiring someone under duress, don't. You will make that person's life so miserable that he, in turn, will make you and your company just as miserable. You will find yourself locked in a daily battle with your CMO whose only fault is being the unfortunate soul you were forced to hire. The constant conflicts will eventually take its toll on your company and where will that leave you all? Nowhere.

Hence, repeat after me: Hire only if and when you're ready to do so.

When you hire your Marketing Director or CMO, know and understand first what you expect from this person and his work.

Many companies hire CMOs without understanding what a CMO's job is all about. Some even hire a CMO if only to complete the alphabet collection in the C-Suite. When the CMO finally executes his job, all hell breaks loose because - WTH are you doing?! Uh...my job?

To understand the CMO's job, you must first understand what marketing is all about: its breadth, scope and role in your organization. For as long as you don't, you'll never figure out why your CMO does what he does even if he collapses from explaining a bazillion times to you in one day. Many an emergency rooms have been filled with asphyxiating CMOs.

You must also ask yourself what you are prepared to give to ensure your CMO executes his job efficiently and effectively. And by that, I do not mean the salary or perks alone but, yes, there is that, too.

Ask yourself what you are prepared to relinquish in terms of control. If you are even prepared to listen to someone give his recommendations on something that is near and dear to your heart. Recommendations that may or may not sit well with you. More importantly, if you are prepared to implement what he recommends.

Because if you're not, you're just wasting everyone's time including yours.

Therefore, the first step to hiring a Marketing Director or CMO begins with the CEO's or COO's heart. Hokey but, yes, we've got our Hallmark moments in the big bad world of marketing.

Having gotten past that initial hurdle, who now should you hire?

Determine your company's marketing needs first based on your corporate or business objectives. CMOs, Marketing Directors and Marketing Consultants come in all shapes and sizes. This is your Cinderella moment because not every marketing professional will fit the shoe.

Just because one is a marketing expert does not mean one can walk on water. There is no such thing as being everything to everyone in marketing. Same rule applies to CMOs, Marketing Directors and Marketing Consultants.

If a marketing professional tells you he can do it all, be afraid. Be very afraid. Because, honey, it ain't true. No one can do it all, a lesson I bitterly learned in my own misguided marketing past.

Don't be so quick to dismiss those without industry experience. It is better to hire someone with a solid experience in your industry but it is not a tragedy either if you hire someone who isn't.

Marketing principles and concepts remain the same. They simply differ in the application for each industry. Yes, Doubting Thomases, they are. Marketing people just choose to live their lives vicariously by using IQ-boggling phrases to refer to a spade, the better to sell marketing books on Amazon. But, at the end of the day, it all comes down to the basics of marketing.

So, if your candidate has a fast learning curve, not having a solid experience in your industry should not be the end of the road for him. Sometimes, those with no industry background are even the ones who bring the freshest ideas to the boardroom.

And, FYI. Not everyone who has a solid industry experience can deliver a sterling performance. Familiarity does not only breed contempt but mediocrity as well. I should know. I have my share of those moments.

On the other hand, if it's an industry I'm not familiar with, the adrenaline rush is there and - all together now in your best Jasmine voice! - a whole new world, a new fantastic point of view...La la la la...

Attracting seasoned marketing professionals is not just a matter of salary, perks and benefits. For most of us, it's the work involved.

Is it challenging enough? Will it be another feather in my marketing cap? Will it be something I'll enjoy doing? Will I be stuck in the same organizational crap I'm trying to avoid now?

If the answer is no to all and I won't starve without this project, I'd rather pass. There is no point getting exhausted and all stressed out by doing a job that brings nothing to my plate.

Hiring a marketing pro is selling your company to these candidates. They are not fresh graduates who are easily impressed. They've been around. They know what they want and do not want. More to the point, they know what they're worth and the value they bring to any company.

The number of digits is not always the sole determining factor in the process of hiring your CMO. I have been known to give an impossibly high figure to save myself the trouble of saying no to a project. I am also notorious for doing a project pro bono if it's something that picks my interest, challenges me or because I just like the person I'll be working with.

Present a challenge to your candidates that their marketing egos cannot resist. Couple that with a figure they can't refuse and voila! You’ve got yourself a Marketing Director.

But, as with all things in life, everything begins at home. Do you really want to hire a CMO?

Photo Credit: chaznimarketing.com

Lies Managers Tell Themselves

2010-02-18T12:36:00.003+08:00

Lies Managers Tell Themselves

Honesty is the best policy.

Not a lot follow that in the corporate world. If we were all honest, we'd all be jobless by now. Saying you're honest is, of course, the biggest lie of them all.

This article made me smile because how many times have I said this to myself and heard it from others?

Based on that list, the usual lies I've heard are:

I know what customers want. There is a world of difference between what I think the customer wants and what they really want. That's what market research is supposed to tell me. But, as I pointed out on this post, our egos get the better of us sometimes. Okay, most times. Sigh.

We have the best product, service, technology, etc. No, dear. You don't. The only reason why you believe that is because anything less would kill your ego. There is also that tiny fact that your sycophant executives and managers have been feeding that delusion of yours in the hopes that, by kissing your ass, they retain their jobs.

It is dangerous to let a CEO continue with this delusion. One of these days, he will discover that his is not the best product, service, technology, etc. Hell hath no fury than a CEO humiliated in front of his peers or the market place. Should this happen, that would definitely be your head on the chopping block.

Grounding your CEO's expectations of his product or service by giving him the pros and cons is the road less traveled. And while that road is thorny to traverse, it is far healthier for your career to take that road.

Not all CEOs have unmanageable egos. Most of the CEOs I work with are pretty well-grounded. While they may not take kindly at first to their marketing consultant openly disagreeing with them on the merits of their products, they eventually come to their senses. A CEO's light bulb moment comes to she who waits. So far, I have yet to be disappointed.

Our customers love us. How many exactly have you asked? One out of 10 is not a very good indication of true love. Your cousin's best friend's cousin's exuberant praise should not be counted especially when he availed of your product courtesy of your generosity.

Some managers prefer to sugarcoat customer's reactions to their bosses. Yes, our customers really enjoyed our product or service. I'm sure they did...before they sprained their arms.

When it comes to customers' reactions, tell it like it is. If your CEO is half the man he believes he is, he'll survive the criticism and go on to improve his products ensuring no limbs will be dismembered by it in the future.

Imagine if your CEO continues with that illusion about his customer's reactions. Then, the company gets sued. Wow. That's probably how the Toyota CEO felt when he ordered the recall for faulty pedals.

It's probably for their own good. A strong CEO knows how to choose his people. He is one who is also humble enough to accept that he may have made a mistake in hiring someone. From out of that humility should come courage to let that person go instead of waiting for that person to bang his head on the wall and resign.

CEOs should be wary of managers who never disagree with them. There is a reason why you hired managers. Because you do not know everything. So when your managers are all supportive, encouraging and agreeable to every hare-brained scheme you concoct, be afraid. Be very afraid.

On the other hand, if you have managers who do nothing but disagree with you, haul them to the nearest therapist.

Am I disagreeable? Of course, I am. But I am also generous in my praise, support and encouragement if the idea has merit. I'm not stupid enough to agree to something that my expert marketing knowledge tells me will bomb spectacularly. Why? Because I will end up cleaning the mess myself. And that's just tiresome.

It's my company. "We can do anything we want." Fear this CEO. Why? Because you will most likely be sharing a jail cell with him.

I find that most CEOs are genuinely interested in knowing the best strategies to stimulate growth and increase profits for their companies. They may have an abrasive way of showing it but hey! Have we not been abrasive at least once in our careers?

I like giving my CEOs the advantages and disadvantages of certain situations, products and strategies. I trust their intelligence and integrity. There may be moments when they're quite slow getting there but, without fail, they do. In the meantime, I go and get a manicure while waiting.

The best service you can provide to your CEO is by giving him intelligent inputs - no matter how distasteful and painful those may sound - that will help him make an informed decision.

Yes, he will scream at you first. A lot. No one ever said life was fair. Bring earplugs.

Photo Credit: childoftwentyfive.blogsome.com

Are You Overly Communicating?

2010-02-18T11:31:00.006+08:00

Are You Overly Communicating?

Well, of course, I am. I have FMD after all. But that's not what this blog post is all about.

I read this article from a Twitter post shared by my friend, Nicole Simon. So typical of corporate life.

My top peeves at work:

Being cc-ed indiscriminately on emails that have nothing to do with me. It's even more irritating when you realize you're only being cc-ed because you happen to be one of the senior executives. Yes, we cc Athena because we cc-ed Poseidon and Hades on that email we sent to Zeus. You know what a b*tch she can be. I hate to break your hearts, children, but I am not one of the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

I do understand, though, why this happens. It's not really an issue of keeping everyone in the loop as the article says. It's really more of covering one's ass. In case something explodes, you can always say you informed all the bosses. Ergo, you are not the arsonist.

Obviously, the corporate world suffers from a crisis of responsibility that remains unaddressed to this day. If it was, I wouldn't be getting copies of emails about purchasing orders for some equipment I cannot spell and will never see.

Perhaps, if we learned to own our decisions, we won't be wasting everyone's time with these useless cc emails.

Another reason for this is to simply scare the bejesus out of the intended email recipient. Look! I have cc-ed the CEO, COO, CFO, CMO and the rest of the alphabets. That should put the fear of God in you. And, naturally, it does. Because what idiot manager will continue to sit on his ass when he gets an email that half of Olympus has a copy of?

Then, there is the small matter of ego. For managers possessing miniscule amounts of self-esteem, their self-confidence grows in direct proportion to the number of gods they cc on their emails concerning the office pantry. Wow, she can email the CEO, COO, CFO and CMO. Wow, she's cluttering the freakin' inbox of this CMO.

If you do any of the above, cease and desist. It's not only annoying but it's extremely unprofessional as well. You're wasting my time. You're sending me Trojans. And I have decided that your indiscriminate cc-ing of me is a valid reason to have you burned at the stake. Without the benefit of a trial.

Be a man. Grow balls. Cc only when extremely necessary. For instance, if you're stranded in the Sahara or you're about to be killed by mummies.

The presence of people who are not necessary to a meeting. If you're mounting an event, fine - let's bring in every Tom, Dick and Harry we can find on the company premises. If we're in a marketing planning session, please tell me the Plant Engineer's purpose of life here.

And for that matter, what am I doing in a meeting that involves office maintenance? Last time I checked, I am not the janitor. Still, I could be wrong about my job description so best to waste my time attending a meeting that informs me I can only use the office microwave oven to re-heat soup.

Meetings take so long because it takes a while to gather 20 people to a meeting that only needs the presence of 3 people.

And then, you have to endure the inane rubbish conversation because God forbid that all these 20 people cannot, do not and will not say anything. Of course, we have to say something. After all, we're in this important meeting with the CEO, COO, CFO and CMO because we have something intelligent to say. Therefore, I must say something that is completely useless but sounds intelligent.

This, ladies and gents, is how I've managed to gain weight during meetings. I eat non-stop before I go into a coma.

There is nothing fascinating about meetings that involve the citizens of the C-Suite, people. Our meetings are swift because we still need to show pictures from our last vacation or share music we've recently downloaded to our iPods. Then, we make time to discuss who's sleeping with who, who's gay, etc. You know, important things that can drastically alter a company's direction.

The Apprentice kind of boardroom meetings usually only happens on the set of The Apprentice.

I am reminded thousands of moons ago of a planning session where a company spent for 2 extra people to attend it. Not knowing their purpose in that planning session, CFO asked CEO why. To which CEO replied, "Because they will feel bad." CFO stepped on my foot; I swallowed half a baguette. And my esophagus was never the same again.

Having marketing work reviewed by non-marketing people. You don't ask a plumber to review the work of the carpenter. If you want to have your carpenter's work reviewed, get another carpenter to do so.

Am I qualified to review the work of a CFO? Of course not. I barely even know how to use a calculator. So, pray tell, why is the logistics guy reviewing my marketing material? Ah, because he's an artist as well. He may be that but, in this company, he is not my graphic artist. He is the Logistics Manager. So, no, he should not be reviewing any marketing material on the off chance that his artist's side will give us snippets of marketing brilliance.

A marketing material is not a work of art, as painful as that may sound. Therefore, do not have it reviewed the way Michelangelo's art was reviewed by art critics and historians. My poster will never make it to the hallowed halls of the Louvre.

I am equally befuddled by this copy of the operations manual I'm holding. Why am I reviewing this again? For the grammar? The cute pictures? Because, frankly, I know next to nothing about equipment calibration and desired product temperatures.

Still, I pore through it because, attached to the St. James Bible of operations, is a tiny note from the CEO that says, "SSC, please review." Of course, I will review it and let us all hope that whatever I put there does not cause the entire manufacturing plant to explode tomorrow.

How many fearless leaders do I know who leave the final selection of the marketing team to the hands of the HR people? "Because they may see something you don't." You mean, the HR head knows more about the qualifications and skills requirements of the marketing staff than the marketing expert herself? But, let it not be said I'm being difficult and uncooperative.

And so it was that HR makes the final selection for the marketing staff bringing very many Titanic moments to these companies. Because, naturally, disaster strikes within 48 hours of hiring these people. "This ship will never sink." Yes, that's how you didn't see the iceberg in front of you, Capt. Smith. That's also how we're now stuck with unqualified people in the marketing department.

Who needs soap operas when you could live in one right here in the corporate world?

Photo Credit: Tigbe.com

Why Your Marketing Failed

2010-01-25T19:58:00.006+08:00

Why Your Marketing Failed

You grew a brain tumor from conceptualizing your marketing campaign. You look like a hag with your eye bags from the sleepless nights you worked on that campaign. You crossed your t’s and dotted your i’s diligently.

You did your homework!

So – why, God, why did it fail? You shake your fists and wail at the injustice of it all.

And from the heavens, a voice thunders:

BECAUSE!

1. The product was flawed.

Often, our crushing deadlines make us do the unthinkable: take shortcuts. Never mind what the product tests are saying, let’s just launch the thing and get it over with. We have shareholders to please. Many months later, the company is being sued for a defective product. The shareholders are not pleased at all.

At other times, our egos get in the way. My guts tell me there is a market for string bean-flavored potato chips. “Phooey!” says the market. And still, you persevere. Let us teach the market to appreciate our product because it is a very good product. Better yet, let us find another target market who can appreciate our string bean-flavored potato chips!

In the graveyard of Dead Marketing Careers, there lies this epitaph: Blessed be the arrogant and hard-headed for they too shall be dead.

2. The market research data was manipulated or ignored.

How many of us hire market research agencies only to ignore their findings? How many of us twist market research questionnaires to skew the data in our favor? Raise your hand now, don’t be shy.

I am reminded of a former vice Marketing VP. “Sun, we shouldn’t ask this question because it will give us the wrong answer.” Ha?! Aren’t we paying this agency a huge chunk of the marketing budget because we want real answers, not simply answers we want to hear? Can somebody tell me how she became Marketing VP?

We launched the product amidst severely skewed market research findings. The product bombs spectacularly. Asks Marketing VP, “What happened?! We had a good campaign planned!” Yes, dear, except our good campaign was based on manipulated questions that gave us the answers we wanted to hear, not what our customers really want to say.

3. The marketing plan was not followed well.

Marketing people are whipped into conceptualizing marketing plans. However, once it is presented (complete with cocktails that often come with a grand marketing roll-out), it is quickly shelved.

Sometimes, I look at my collection of marketing plans (yes, I collect marketing plans the way people collect stamps or coins) and sigh. Lookit dat list of action plans!

Some never happened. Most happened but, sometimes, not in the way it was planned. The ones that did happen the way it was planned came every 75 years. Like Haley’s Comet. But dang! We had a rockin’ marketing roll-out. I suspect we really create marketing plans as an excuse to have a company party.

4. The marketing budget is not realistic.

Come on, people! We cannot have a tri-media campaign without the necessary zeroes. I don’t understand CEOs who approve marketing campaigns but not the marketing budget required for that campaign. Just because your marketing head is chummy with agency people does not mean they can have airtime for free, you know. A sparkling personality and charisma is good but media agencies need cold cash.

Then again, there are marketing professionals who throw in everything, yet, set their budgets so low. Huh?! How are you going to make all that happen? By selling your body? Of course, this assumes you have a body worth selling but what if you don’t have one…like me? I guess that’s how I end up begging for alms.

Don’t let your ego write your marketing plan and budget. Do the math and write it down there in font size 48. Then, defend those numbers with every breath you take. Very Sting.

5. The marketing calendar is just as unrealistic.

Unless your agency people are perpetually on Ecstasy, there is no way on God’s green earth that they can come up with a full communications campaign in under a month. None. Not even if it’s a multi-awarded ad agency. It just won’t happen.

Have you noticed how CEOs change their minds every 5 seconds? Exactly why it won’t happen in under a month. And let’s not even go into the purchasing process.

5. The entire organization was not involved in the implementation of the marketing plan.

A well-crafted marketing plan is only half the battle. Marketing is a process that requires teamwork. For your marketing plan to be implemented properly, you need the support and involvement of your organization.

Nothing is more tragic than a receptionist telling a customer that she’s not aware of any ongoing promo. Or, a Logistics Manager telling someone he’s not familiar with the promo mechanics but, yes, please call our marketing department.

There is a reason for that rockin’ marketing roll-out and it’s not just so we can drink martinis for free.

A marketing plan alone does not guarantee business success. There are many other factors that contribute to it. To ensure a higher possibility for success of your marketing campaigns, you and your organization must provide it with the necessary resources, time and support.

Some things in life just require hard work and cold cash.

Photo credit: fierceandmighty.com

Faithfully Yours

2010-01-25T11:58:00.005+08:00

Faithfully Yours

Pope John Paul II was the pope always associated with the youth and all things young. Beloved by all, he was thought to be a forward-thinking man who guided his flock using approaches that fit the modern times of his papacy.

Upon his death, enter Pope Benedict XVI, a man everyone thought to be so conservative and traditional. Not quite, faithful followers.

Whereas Pope John Paul II traveled the world to bring the Word of God to the faithful and bridge religious differences, Pope Benedict does so from the confines of the Vatican using - TADAHN! - social media.

Pope Benedict's latest message to priests all over the world: We Must Blog! (Insert SFX: thunder and lightning)

Somehow, I'm having trouble envisioning my parish priest blogging and uploading a YouTube video. After all, he once insisted that all females must wear a veil during communion or else they cannot receive it. What is dut?! As expected, the communion lines became incredibly shorter. I am happy to report he has since relented.

A few months ago, I stumbled upon the Vatican's YouTube channel when I was checking out a client's video.

As a Catholic watching way too many Dan Brown-based movies, the Vatican's YouTube videos de-mystified what goes on behind its hallowed halls. It was pleasant to see that, nope, the Vatican does not suffocate erring historical authors inside their libraries after all. Everybody leaves the Vatican alive. Really.

As a marketer, I was happy to see the Catholic Church addressing its target market using social media. It tells me that the current pope understands modern times more than we give him credit for.

Critics of the Vatican are quick to denounce the Roman Catholic Church's seemingly tenacious hold on what they perceive as archaic ideology no longer suitable to modern times. That may be so but, with this latest news, it is clear that Pope Benedict understands that, for his papacy to flourish and succeed, he must use channels his flock now uses.

What I would give to see what's on Pope Benedict's iPhone. Is he on Foursquare? Checking in at the papal residence. Cooool! You have just unlocked the mayor's badge at the Vatican. If someone else is mayor of the Vatican on Foursquare, we are in serious trouble, folks.

Well, of course, the Pope is on Facebook, Virginia. He even has his own Facebook application, Pope2U. I wonder if His Holiness also plays Farmville. Benedict has found a lost sheep on his farm!

I guess it's only a matter of time before Pope Benedict's sermons and writings will find its way into Kindle. And, still, I cannot see my parish priest doing that.

While we used to think of social media as a toy we can play with in our spare time (do we have spare time? What is spare time?!), not quite so now. A bazillion articles on the internet can now tell you that, yes, you must use social media for business. And if you're still not doing so, a serious visit to your therapist is in order.

Unlike the Vatican who now recognizes the need to use social media, we still find companies who are being difficult about this reality.

To them, social media is today's version of a drive-in movie. Teenagers may do this but adults should really know better (*roll eyes*). The idea that their corporations should and must use social media is horrifying to them. Oh, the indignity. It takes a humble CEO to accept and embrace social media.

Of course, you do not use social media for the sake of using it. That's just juvenile and stupid. You use social media as a tool to support and augment your marketing strategy. Yes, darling, on the 8th day, God did not rest; He created social media.

Ergo, unlike the chicken and egg issue, there is only one clear order in the use of social media: marketing strategy first THEN social media. And only if it’s applicable to your marketing strategy. Of course, if it isn't, you don't use it, hello.

Yes, Disbeliever, it's been known to happen - that a company does not need to use social media given its marketing strategy.

There is nothing undignified about corporations using social media. It all depends on how you use it.

If you Twitter like you're on drugs or you Facebook like one of those drunk college kids who regret everything in the morning, it is best to learn how to use social media properly first before embarking on it. Don't just dive there without learning and understanding how. Because then, you will really regret everything in the morning.

Which now makes me wonder what Moses' tweets would be like. Sea ahead. Call God. Pls. RT.

Whether we like it or not, social media is now a part of the marketing landscape. Like the Pope, we should learn to accept that and use it as a means of engaging our customers.

Using social media is not a mortal sin. It only becomes one when you don’t use it properly.

Photo Credit: Enlightened Catholicism

Happy Birthday To Me!

2010-01-22T09:14:00.003+08:00

Happy Birthday To Me!

I shall now greet myself a happy birthday. Well, I don't see why I shouldn't greet my own self.

As I turn another year older, I reflect on the goals I've set, the ones I managed to achieve and those I have yet to accomplish. Hmmm...not bad.

I didn't achieve most of them according to the time frame I wanted and in the speed and manner I desired but such is life. Things will happen according to how God and the universe want it to happen. I just bear in mind that all good things come to he who waits and works hard while waiting.

On the goals I managed to achieve, I could not have done it without the help and support of my family, friends, clients and business associates. I will always be grateful for that. I try to never forget my humble beginnings. It is what keeps me grounded.

On this day, I choose to only thank one person - yes, this will be hokey so brace yourself. I choose to thank God and I choose to spend this day with Him.

And so to God, I say:

Thank you for another year of life where I continue to be blessed with good health, a sound mind and body. For the many prayers You have answered for me. For those You didn't grant because it would not have been for my own good. The challenges You continue to give me so that I will be molded into the kind of person You have always wanted me to become. The never ending comfort and solace You provide when the going gets tough and I don't feel like going. The quiet encouragement You bestow on me whenever my spirit wants to sink.

Thank you for this career that means so much to me. It comes with such a high price and, yet, through it all - You have given me the courage to go ahead and pay that price safe in the knowledge that, by doing so, I shall live the life I have often prayed for.

Thank you for the determination that enables me to persevere in the face of adversity and challenges. That I may live the life I have always wanted.

My thanks for Mommy whose unquestioning love and support constantly reminds me of the greatness of a mother. I am proud to be her daughter.

Most of all, for the greatest treasure You have ever blessed me with - my True North, Angel. Words cannot express the depth and breadth of my gratitude for the privilege of being her mother.

I have what I have now because of You. Thank you.

Photo Credit: pimpmyspace.org

Putting Pizazz in Davao City's Fashion Scene

2010-01-18T14:49:00.005+08:00

Putting Pizazz in Davao City's Fashion Scene

On Facebook and Twitter, I meet a lot of interesting people engaged in industries that are outside of my comfort zone. Some become clients, some simply business associates.

Without a doubt, most remain friends who continue to enrich both my life and my marketing career.

Through my Facebook, I recently met Gerry Munda and his wife, Christine Dumatol Munda. They moved back to Davao City, Gerry's roots, after spending 30 years in Manila.

Together, they set up Davao's first and only fashion school, Fashion Institute of Design and Arts (FIDA).

Gerry is a banker by profession while Christine used to be with SOFA-Manila and was involved with Project Runway Philippines. It was always Christine's dream to set up a fashion school that would help enhance the fashion design skills of upcoming fashion designers. Moving back to Davao made that dream come true as they set up FIDA.

Dedicated to providing comprehensive fashion education to Davao City and Southern Philippines, FIDA is Davao City's answer to NYC's Parsons and Manila's SOFA. FIDA is the school to go to in Davao if you are interested in developing your fashion design skills or determined to further hone your fashion design craft.

In the past, FIDA brought in noted fashion illustrationist, Danilo Franco, who held a seminar/workshop on fashion illustration. Model Marina Benipayo also held a workshop on basic modeling.

And so it was that I met Gerry on my Facebook fan page, The Marketing Girl.

We met for dinner and it was funny how that dinner came about. Davao is notorious for its No Smoking city ordinance. I told Gerry and Christine that we should have dinner in a place that had a smoking area. We ended up at this Legaspi Suites place where, amidst a rather strong drizzle, we dined on way too much food.

Then again, it wouldn't be me if I didn't eat a lot. Yes, that's how I scare potential clients: by ordering too much food in the rain.

Good ideas often come from the oddest places and circumstances. While wading through my dinuguan and munching on its accompanying puto, I thought the place looked cool enough to be a fashion show venue.

And --- voila!

On January 22-23, 2010, FIDA will hold its fashion immersion at Paseo de Legaspi showcasing the collection of Gerry Katigbak.

One of the best moments in marketing is when an idea becomes a reality. Watch FIDA's fashion immersion, a show that was inspired by rain, laughter, a bowl of soup and The Marketing Girl's dogged determination to find a smoking place in Davao City.

FIDA is located at 544 Ricardo St., Juna Subd., Matina, Davao City. You can call them at + 63.82.3043007 or + 63.923.7039696 (mobile). Look for Faye. FIDA is open from Mondays thru Fridays (9:30am to 6pm) and on Saturdays (9:30am-12 noon).

No, this is not a sponsored post.

Photo credit: FIDA Facebook fan page

How To Handle And Manage Clients

2010-01-14T00:12:00.004+08:00

How To Handle And Manage Clients

Officially, my job as marketing consultant is...well, obviously, to be consulted on marketing matters.

I act as marketing adviser to the CEO or COO. It is my responsibility to provide my clients with the most effective and efficient marketing strategies that would help them achieve their business goals.

Yada yada yada.

There, however, also exist many unofficial roles, the likes of which will never find its way into your contract. Depending on how the planets are aligned, you are their shrink, confidante, best friend, mother, girlfriend, nanny, maid and, occasionally, pet Godzilla. To get things done, you need to know how and when to play these unofficial roles along with your official duty.

Here are some tips I've learned over the years as a marketing consultant:

Tip No. 1: Listen. At times, they do not need your advice nor are they seeking it. They just need someone to listen to them. Sometimes, an idea begins to take better shape or form when you say it aloud. For some CEOs/COOs, they need to articulate these ideas to make it sound real and possible. Or, to simply iron out the kinks. Whatever their reasons are, know that, at this moment, your role is to simply shut up. If you cannot shut up, chew some candy.

Tip No. 2: Obey. There is a difference between blind obedience and simply obeying because they have already made their decision. Hopefully, that is an informed decision they've arrived at if you did your primary task well. That task being providing intelligent marketing advice relative to whatever business issue they are concerned with. Once a client has made his decision, like all good soldiers, you have to fall in line.

Tip No. 3: Honesty is the best policy. For as long as you are their marketing consultant, your loyalty belongs to them and the company. You do not always have to explain everything to everyone in the organization but your client has the right to know everything from you before you do anything. Whether it's good or bad, let him have it. Give him the option to choose whatever he deems is best for his company. It's his company, darling, not yours. So get a grip.

Tip No. 4: Trust, once broken, can never be regained. The foundation of your client-consultant relationship is trust. If he cannot trust you, then, you no longer serve a purpose. Therefore, guard that trust ferociously.

However! Do not do so at the expense of others. That's just tacky, ill-bred and completely in bad taste. Always remember Tip No. 3. In cases where others have made mincemeat out of you, learn to pick your battles and choose your enemies wisely. Bear in mind: tell me who you consider as adversaries and I will tell you who you are.

Tip No. 5: You are human and your client knows it. Clients do not expect perfection from their consultants although it may often feel otherwise. They, however, expect intelligence and sound judgment among other things. If you do not know, remember Tip No. 3. Your client is not going to slaughter you just because you don't know despite the fact that you've been SVP since the time of Moses. With grace and humility, admit you do not know but that you will get back to him with an answer as soon as you have it.

Tip No. 6: Don't aspire to be Ms. Friendship. You are not in a beauty pageant and it will never happen anyway. The fact that you have the CEO's or COO's ear automatically makes you the resident evil. So, stop whining and just live with it. That's the price you pay for being a consultant.

Tip No. 7: It's just work. While many people within the organization may hate your guts, don't be a drama queen by taking it personally. When the going gets tough, EXHALE! If you suddenly find a huge carving knife stuck in your spine, go quietly to the nearest emergency room and get medical treatment. Do not produce a soap opera out of it.

Tip No. 8: Protect your client even from himself. Clients are rarely objective about their organizations and business decisions. So, at times like these, handle with care and proceed with caution. Explain the pros and cons. Then, give them time to chew on it. Once they've made their decision, remember Tip No. 2.

As marketing consultant, you can only do so much. The final decision always remains with the CEO or COO. Remember, though, that your job is to make sure that final decision is an informed one wherein he is fully aware of all possible consequences.

And should he come back to you with his tail between his legs, do not - I repeat, do not - gloat nor say "I told you so." Just buckle down to work and try to fix what needs fixing.

Tip No. 9: Do not abuse your position. Try to remain grounded and keep your ego in check. When the day comes that your tenure is over, leave your client with the memory of a marketing consultant who did not betray his trust nor sell her soul for a few pieces of silver.

And, finally, Tip No. 10: Enjoy. The only way you will get out of this with your sanity intact is to have fun.

Photo Credit: lessoninlife.com

How Much Are Marketing Consultants Worth?

2010-01-10T08:57:00.004+08:00

How Much Are Marketing Consultants Worth?

For most clients seeking the services of a marketing consultant, their main concern when shopping for one is the cost of hiring one.

Marketing professionals are notorious for the stupendously high professional fees or salary packages they charge. Understandably, clients who approach marketing professionals do so with caution. Like driving a car on a slippery road.

Marketing consultancy is an underground economy in the Philippines. There is no set industry average for professional fees charged by marketing consultants. This is mainly because the professional fee depends on the scope of work that the client expects the marketing consultant to do.

If a client only requires the marketing consultant to give marketing advice on a regular basis, the price will not cost you your spleen. By marketing advice, I mean the consultant sits in the CEO's office once a week and listens to him wail about his business and executives for an hour. No daunting physical output like a strategic plan is required from him. So, you pretty much charge the way Monk is charged by his shrink.

On the other hand, if the marketing consultant is expected to fulfill the function of CMO/marketing head, the fee skyrockets. It is not a joke being CMO even if you're just a temporary one. You became a consultant to escape the tyranny of being CMO and, here you are many moons later, doing the work you wanted to avoid. Many a gray strand on my fair head are caused by being interim CMO. For the amount of I spend on hair stylists, of course, I will charge the earth, hello.

It also depends on the credentials of the marketing consultant. If you're hiring a retired SVP of marketing, he will charge you for his lost golf time. If you're hiring a young gun, you're only paying for lost iMax time.

Note, however, that not all marketing consultants are created equal.

Just because he was once SVP does not automatically mean he's Philip Kotler. By the same token, a young marketing consultant is not always witless and sorely lacking in experience.

Your SVP could have lasted until retirement age because firing him is an expensive option. In reality, he has the brains of a peanut and it remains a mystery as to why the man was ever in a marketing position. However, your young marketing consultant, could be a marketing genius and has better things to do with his life than sit around and wait for a vice presidency to fall on his lap. Life, after all, is short, people. Why waste it waiting for the sky to fall? Look at Chicken Little. Such a sad chicken, really.

Of course, there are retired SVPs whose marketing brains and credentials you just must have. At the same time, there are young marketing consultants you just want to burn at the stake.

So. Like I said, professional fees of marketing consultants are not and cannot be regulated because it all depends on the client's needs and the project details. Unlike other service-oriented professions, we cannot come up with a menu with corresponding fees for marketing services being acquired.

Because what will you put there? Brand management: P40,000 a month. Hello, there are many aspects to brand management and, depending on what you want me to do, I cannot just charge a flat rate. If you simply want me to review the proposed brand names your marketing department came up with, a buffet lunch is already good enough for me. But, if you want me to develop your marketing campaign, an expensive lunch and dinner is not going to do it. Some things in life must be paid for by cold hard cash.

You get? Okay.

Let's assume you're hiring a marketing consultant to develop a marketing campaign and, in the process, act as your interim CMO. Please do not expect the fee to be affordable. You're not buying laundry detergent, you're buying that person's brains and time. Assuming, of course, he has marketing brains worth paying for.

Do you have any idea at all of the number of veins that have exploded in my brains as a result of conceptualizing a marketing campaign? Or the amount of backbreaking hours I spend sitting in front of my computer doing so? Not to mention the agony I go through making sure the marketing plan is implemented properly by your people who, in another life, should really be citizens of Pandora. Some of us could be getting laid except we're not because we're overseeing your marketing campaign as you are getting laid.

Therefore, it is not a funny life. Of course, I will charge and charge I will.

Some clients opt to hire an ad agency or PR firm instead of a marketing consultant. Oh, you poor misguided children. This is the same as saying the drummer can take over the task of an orchestra conductor.

Your ad agency will simply tell you to develop marketing collaterals that will wipe out entire forests and produce TVCs that will create a crater in your P&L statement. Let's see you explain that red line to your shareholders. But, look! We produced nice commercials and even won an award!

On the other hand, your publicist will be churning out press releases and articles until readers beg for mercy. And let's not even get into social media.

Advertising, public relations and social media are tactics and functions of marketing. For it to work effectively, you need a coherent, cohesive and strategic marketing plan. There is just no going around it.

Your talented creative director and hardworking account director can never replace a marketing strategist even if they drank Promil as kids and are, therefore, gifted children. There is a reason why they are creative and account directors just as there is a reason why your marketing strategist is a marketing strategist. It is a bad idea for the twain to mix. This is not coffee; we do not do a 3-in-1 here.

And that, my dear, is why you must hire a CMO/marketing head or marketing consultant. So your orchestra does not sound like a death knell and you actually achieve your business objectives which is the primary task of marketing.

To the question then, are marketing consultants expensive?

It depends on how you value and appreciate the worth marketing brings to your corporation or business. If you only equate marketing with sales, advertising or PR - then, yes, they are expensive. If you see how crucial your marketing is to achieving your business goals, they are worth the expense.

So am I expensive? Only if you do not understand the value of marketing.

Photo credit: tourism.gov.ph

Philippine Politicians On Social Media Steroids

2009-12-27T11:47:00.004+08:00

Philippine Politicians On Social Media Steroids

Filipinos do not lack creativity. Unfortunately, we are often too lazy to think creatively which is how we’ve earned the notorious reputation of being a nation of copycats.

We like to copy successful formulas in the hopes that it too will bring us the same level of success. There's nothing wrong with copying a successful formula, really. If it can work for you, why not, right? What we often fail to do is analyze why something became a success before copying it mindlessly.

Take a look at Philippine politics and the way political campaigns are being run for the 2010 elections.

Everyone is just so into copying the Obama election campaign. Yes, the Obama election was a marketing coup but did it ever occur to any of you (or your political consultants) to figure out why?

Because Obama and his people had a strategy which they stuck to like barnacles and refined as the American presidential elections moved along. They understood that social media was not a strategy but, rather, one of the many tactics they can use to achieve their marketing goal which was to ensure Obama gets elected. Those tactics were shaped by a marketing strategy that was well mapped out, executed correctly and properly.

He knew where to invest his marketing money precisely because he had a strategy. He invested on a sophisticated voter database, the likes of which will probably haunt my marketing dreams for a long time if I had the chance to see it.

Most of all, he had David Plouffe who reinforces in my mind that I really should marry geeky-looking college drop-outs.

Unless you live in a dream world where the price of gas is only $1 a barrel, political campaign managers-slash-marketing consultants are usually not...err...affordable. Yes, dear, the David Plouffes of this world are expensive. Be prepared to pay if you want one of your own.

So, no, Obama did not win because he tweeted mercilessly and Facebook-ed like the hounds of hell were on his heels.

I understand that Mar Roxas wants to make his image more approachable by humanizing himself through Twitter. But, really. Must you tweet every second of your honeymoon? I don't know who should be more embarrassed - Mar (for not knowing how to use Twitter properly despite going to a prestigious business school), Korina (who should know better since she's in media) or the Filipino public who didn't quite know what to do with Mar's honeymoon tweets.

Long ago, I followed a guy who tweeted from the White House. I forgot his name but his tweets, while interesting and witty, talked about issues that were being discussed on the Senate floor or C-Span press conferences. It was like getting the news earlier than CNN but without the mind-numbing stupor that CNN news can sometimes bring.

Now, that was using Twitter properly.

This, however, is not the way a vice presidential hopeful on his honeymoon should be using Twitter: "came home, opened door, and yelled out "Honey, i'm home!!" hahaha. Tawa ni Korina. Parang sa cine." WTF?!

Have I even told you about the 10 million fan pages of Philippine politicians that are now flooding Facebook?

The thing that is distinctly missing from all the politicians' Facebook pages is their lack of interaction with their fans and supporters. None of them bother to reply to the comments posted on their page's Walls.

Social media is interactive. You use this to build relationships, not simply rattle off your plans, programs and press releases. After which, you leave it all to Batman. To build relationships using social media, you have got to engage in virtual conversations. Such is the price of social media. If you don't want to do it, don't get on social media at all. Because, then, you're just being selfish.

And that, dear, is why you should hire a full time social media overlord who will do the engaging and interacting for you.

After all, don't you have more important things to do with your time than replying to 500 comments on your Facebook update? Any politician who can find the time to reply to all 500 comments on each of the social media networks he uses should make us think twice about voting for him.

As with all things marketing, social media is simply one avenue politicians can use to get elected or bring their political platforms to the people. There are other tactics such as email marketing, text messaging, etc. etc. and etc. It really depends on who you're targeting.

The reason Obama used the internet heavily is because he knew his target audience and understood how best to reach them. He was targeting young voters and he knew that the internet was where they could be found.

Do you even know who it is you're targeting? Do you know where to find them? For all you know, your voters do not even use the internet so all that tweeting and Facebook-ing is all for naught.

Know and understand your target market (aka voter). That is elementary marketing, my dear Filipino politician.

Using social media alone is not enough to get you elected. You must have something relevant to say and you must state it in a manner that appeals to your target audience. Otherwise, all will be lost in the noise and clutter of social media.

Photo credit: www.istrat.in/blog/

Juggling My Marketing Career And Parenthood

2009-12-26T12:01:00.005+08:00

Juggling My Marketing Career And Parenthood

How do I accomplish a balance between my marketing career and my personal life?

I don't.

In a perfect world, The Marketing Girl would have achieved that balance in a single bounce. In this world, however, I can't no matter how many times I force myself to bounce.

Unlike other career women, I do not have it all because I cannot do it all. My talents are sadly limited so it's either career or Angel but never both at the same time. I'm just not built that way.

Very rarely that I think of Angel, my family or friends when I am at work. If I give in to the temptation of doing so, I become a vegetable. I start doing haphazard work because all I can think about is going home to her. It gets to a point where, sometimes, it is no longer possible to have a sane conversation with me because I am obsessed with wondering if Angel is also thinking of me.

Italian Mobster once remarked that I only have 3 things in mind and all of them have a specific schedule according to their rank on my list of priorities: work, Angel and my shoes.

In the beginning of my career, I tried to do it all. The results were disastrous.

What 4-year-old child can comprehend why she's stuck in her mother's office the whole day when they were supposedly spending quality time together? How do you explain to that child that bringing her to the office is what passes for quality time in your world? Most of all, how do you make her understand that, no, it was never your intention to starve her at the office but you had a meeting that went on for hours and you..uh..sort of forgot her?

Bosses and clients were complaining that my soul was traveling elsewhere as we hammered marketing campaigns in the board room. When working late, I'd get antsy. I felt that, at 8pm, I should be home reading The Velveteen Rabbit to Angel, not reviewing a forecast for a new product. It was especially hard for agency people who had to cool their heels while I sang a lullaby to Angel - on the phone.

My lack of focus drove everyone nuts.

Plus, I got tired of people harping that I prioritize my career over Angel. It grated on my nerves that I felt the need to explain and apologize for my career choices because it was often colliding with everyone's perceptions and expectations of a "good" mother. I got fed up feeling less because, compared to other career moms, I couldn't achieve the perfect work-life balance that society dictated.

Finally, I just got exhausted. Enough with the b.s. I will do this my way.

In the end, I realized that quality time with Angel was not about the number of hours or days I spent with her. Quality time was about giving her my full attention even if it was only for 30 minutes.

I love Angel but I also love my career. Without my career, Angel will have a miserable mother and what child wants a miserable parent, right?

Since that realization, I strive to keep my 2 worlds apart. Work is work, Angel is Angel and never shall the twain meet. It's very Twilight pre-New Moon.

And how is Angel taking all this?

It's not her most ideal set-up. She compares me to other mothers and, on bad days, she bitches about my time. But the bad days do not come often for her.

Most of the time, the days are good. On these days, she's used to the demands of my career already. She doesn't bother me at work unless the Wifi is conking out and, then, she channels Chicken Little. The internet is not working, Mom! Indeed, the sky is falling.

She knows that, if she lets me do my work in peace, she can have her mother back sooner. She will not have to deal with the horrid marketing consultant who merely pretends to be her mother.

And at work?

I no longer talk about Angel so I don't think of her while I'm working. I work as if I have no personal life. Even on this marketing blog, I take extra effort now not to mention her. Unlike before where every single post invariably mentions her name, it's been a while since I've done that.

Achieving work-life balance is really about what works for you, not what everyone deems perfect or ideal.

And what works for me is that - at work, I pretend I have no child. At home, I pretend I'm jobless.

Just so you all know, I have every intention of winning the Best Actress Award at the Oscars or the Bafta.

Photo credit: abhijitkar.com

A Blessed Christmas To All

2009-12-25T13:25:00.004+08:00

A Blessed Christmas To All

Today, we celebrate the birth of our savior, Jesus Christ. On this day, we reflect on His birth and the value it brings to our own lives. This is our opportunity to ponder upon the numerous blessings we have received and to be grateful for all of them.

For all that has been this past year, my thanks go to the following: (Yes, this is my Taylor Swift sans Kanye West moment)

My clients. You know who you are. My deepest and sincerest gratitude for your continuing trust in my marketing expertise. Being your marketing consultant has, is and will always be a truly enriching and rewarding experience for me. Through the many challenges that accompany my role in your corporation or business, I have grown a lot as a marketing strategist. I know it hasn't always been easy working with me and I thank you for your patience and support. I look forward to more interesting times ahead with all of you. I pray for your continuing business success.

My agencies and suppliers. You also know who you are. Thank you for the patience you have all given me. For bearing the long nights and, sometimes, inhumane deadlines, I am humbled by your tolerance and understanding. Here's to more projects together.

My business associates. Too many to mention but, again, you know you who are. For the many things I have learned from all of you, for the laughter and serious discussions over coffee or dinner, for the free food (hahaha!) and, most of all, the gift of your company on days when I needed intelligent conversation, my sincerest thanks.

My online family. You also know who you are. Distance does not have any meaning for us through all the shared jokes, business tips and life stories we have shared through the years we've known each other. I look forward to learning more from all of you. Most of all, I look forward to the comfort you have always generously provided me with through all of my own life's ups and downs. Thank you for being there for me.

My family especially Mom who is the reason for my being. Without them, I would not be able to find the will to live my life to the fullest. It is they who inspire me to do better than I did yesterday. Thank you for loving me even when I was most unlovable.

My friends (from Assumption to UP, from childhood to adulthood). May our friendship continue to grow stronger in the years ahead. May we have more shared laughter and fun. May we remain each other's pillar of strength through the tough times. Thank you for the gift of friendship.

To Angel, my true North, thank you for being the light that guides my ship through the night. Beyond life, I will love you with every fiber of my being. My life has been so blessed because of you.

From my family to yours, The Marketing Girl wishes all of you a most blessed Christmas.

Photo credit: roma1207.wordpress.com

Destination Branding: Davao

2009-12-21T13:35:00.005+08:00

Destination Branding: Davao

All that news about the Maguindanao Massacre made me reflect on my personal experiences in Mindanao specifically Davao.

Davao is not all of Mindanao. It is, however, a key city in Mindanao and, therefore, one of the island's major centers for business and education. Very far from the profile of Manila as a cosmopolitan mega-city but, in Mindanao, Davao is the it place.

Unfortunately, those not living in or from Mindanao have the tendency to be sweeping with their ideas and impressions of the place. You tend to think that what happens in Maguindanao is also happening in Davao because both are located in one island. Until you actually look at the map of Mindanao, you will not realize that Maguindanao is quite far from Davao.

Since I am geographically-challenged, I used to think Davao, precisely because it is in Mindanao, was a war zone.

It's not.

It's a rather peaceful place albeit boring and most of my personal choices for creature comforts are not available there. But, yeah, go to Davao and I assure you that you will return to Manila without any grenade shrapnel poking out of your face.

From a marketing view point, I think this image problem of Davao being like all the other places of Mindanao stems not only from the limited view of the general public but it is also fostered by the general behavior of Davaoenos themselves.

Wow. Long, winded sentence. My English professor will kill me for that.

In marketing, it is not enough that we speak about our brand values. In every way possible, a brand should convey what it stands for. Every person in any organization is an embodiment of that brand and its values. Therefore, every Davaoeno is the personification of their city’s brand.

And so, through the eyes of an outsider, this is what Brand Davao tells me:

I can appreciate the military security everywhere but, at the same time, it makes me wonder: if Davao is really the peaceful place Davaoenos paint it to be, then, what's with all the security? Military and police presence can foster the feeling of security to a point and, then, it gets creepy.

Many aspects of life there are ruled by the government's iron fist encased in the velvet glove of "for safety and security."

No more beer at 2am. I don't drink so I don't care about this rule. To me, however, that’s similar to saying "curfew." Ultimately, no beer at 2am is the government's way of saying "go home now!" Which begs the question, why? Davaoenos will then reply that the rule is there to ensure safety and security. What does that have to do with ordering and drinking beer past 2am?

Ohhh...because when drunk, people will get rowdy. So? Are the drunks in Davao worst when drunk compared to the drunks of Manila when they get drunk? Are you trying to tell me that, compared to others, Davao people gut someone's innards out when they get drunk?

Because if that's the case, then there is something seriously wrong not only with the safety and security of Davao but with the Davaoenos themselves, a clear contradiction to the city's core brand value that says Davaoenos are a peace loving lot.

No firecrackers during New Year’s Eve. I can appreciate the value of that but shouldn't people have the option to choose if their fingers go flying off at New Year's Eve? If you really want to avoid New Year casualties, shouldn't educating the masses about the hazards of firecrackers be the way to go instead of infringing on their right to choose? Are the people of Davao so stupid and stubborn that they cannot grasp what is harmful and dangerous to their well-being? And here I thought it was just Manila people who are supposedly stupid and stubborn.

From where I'm standing, there is a huge difference between discouraging purchases and being dictated by the government what I can or cannot purchase.

It is only on flights to Davao where flight attendants announce the smoking ban is strictly imposed in the city. On other flights to other Philippine destinations where the smoking ban is also imposed, airlines do not make this announcement prior to landing. So why only on Davao flights?

I get the health angle but, by doing that, Brand Davao unwittingly conveys 2 things: Smokers are not welcomed in the city and every passenger on that flight are idiots who cannot read or comprehend all the "No smoking" signs plastered all over the airport terminal.

Not exactly the welcoming statement you want to get from a city whose brand value says they are warm and hospitable. I cannot feel the warmth and hospitality. I can only feel the persecution and the insult to my intelligence. And, to think, I haven't even deplaned yet.

In Davao, mini-marts and groceries cannot sell cigarettes if they are located near a school. I get the logic but I'm asking, where are the parents of these children? Are Davao parents so lacking in parental skills that the government must help them impose discipline on their own children? What kind of children is being raised in Davao, then? Irreverent hooligans who are unable to respect and obey their parents?

Through all these government restrictions, I ask myself: Are Davaoenos so devoid of any common sense or basic intelligence that the government must dictate upon them what should clearly be an exercise of common sense and good judgment?

Because that's what Brand Davao is telling me with all their 10 million rigid rules and regulations.

When you impose so many restrictions on your potential customers to the point where it grates on their nerves, you are sending one powerful message: you are not welcomed here. When you have military personnel toting high powered firearms everywhere, it does not convey a sense of security. Instead, it sends another equally powerful message: it is not safe to be here.

When a destination sends out such powerful messages to its visitors, their citizens should not be wondering why visitors approach their city with much trepidation and paranoia. Or why it doesn't rank very high on anyone's Must-Visit Destination.

Every single thing we do for our business sends a powerful message to our potential audience. Be careful with your messages and the manner by which you send them.

Would I encourage you to visit Davao? Of course, I would. It's a beautiful city and one you shouldn't miss seeing. The people are lovely, very warm and friendly.

Destination marketing/branding mistakes are not always reflective of the place or its people.

Photo credit: michaelbauzon.com

Brand Mindanao: Post-Maguindanao Massacre

2009-12-13T19:47:00.003+08:00

Brand Mindanao: Post-Maguindanao Massacre

Mindanao is beautiful. But, for all its beauty, that is one place with a monstrous brand problem. For how do you build a destination brand when, every other minute, you hear of people there getting kidnapped and, lately, massacred?

In the beginning, the idea of going to Mindanao repelled me.

Visions of my nose with grenade shrapnel sticking out from under my nostrils filled my head. I'm scared of ghosts but I am even more scared of being up close and personal with an armalite pointed directly at my newly Vitamin C-injected face.

Yes, ladies and gents, I am a Filipino but, sadly, my knowledge then of my own country was pathetically limited.

In my defense, the news wasn’t exactly a huge help in dispelling my fears of setting foot in the Philippines' largest island who, in another life, was known as the land of the promise. I'm sorry but I'm only human. And while I know that I should always view the news with a healthy amount of skepticism (like I would any kind of advertising), the fact is – people get kidnapped there! CNN said so! Where "there" is exactly is lost in my paranoia and panic.

In the recent years, Mindanao and its people have worked hard trying to move on from the specter of those kidnappings.

From ziplines to surfing to canopy walks, Mindanao was slowly but steadily building its brand reputation as an adventure sports-meets-eco-tourism-meets-something destination. Yes, they have a problem with their marketing strategy but let's not go there now. And, for a while, it looked like Mindanao was succeeding.

Sure, there was that priest who got kidnapped (what's his name again? I'm sorry. I'm getting old, 'nuff said) but it only created a minor bump on their brand building campaign.

And, then, the Maguindanao Massacre happened.

Forget the ziplines, pristine white beaches, Cloud 9, tuna belly and durian. Just run for your life whenever you see a ridiculously large mansion rising in the middle of somewhere out there. Or, swerve to the nearest ditch whenever you see a convoy of SUVs bearing down the highways with the speed of lightning. Better to mess up your car than be gunned down because you are the idiot who did not know how to avoid these people.

I think it's sad that Mindanao's blossoming brand holding so much promise moved 10 steps backward because of this unfortunate incident.

An entire island will have to pay for the misguided ego of one family who, by the way, has very bad taste in houses. Huge, darling, is not always equal to good taste. Often, huge is just hideously nouveau - in the Ruffa Gutierrez, Jinkee Pacquiao and Gretchen Barretto way.

Channeling the Sound of Music now – how do you solve a problem like Mindanao post-Maguindanao Massacre?

For one thing, I think all travel advisories from foreign embassies should be accompanied with the map of the Philippines. The kind that even the cross-eyed can see clearly. Or, a map that does not only provide distance in kilometers but also in travel time.

This is Maguindanao. It takes 10 light years to get there from Point A. So, no, the rebels will not get to you in 5 seconds because they ride carabaos. They once had SUVs but we are experiencing fuel shortage these days. They could borrow one of Manny Pacquiao's Hummers but he’s busy learning English and buying his scorned wife diamond rings the size of Mt. Apo.

Second, I think the business community should come together, set their egos aside and work together to pool their resources in order to address Mindanao's image problem.

You may all be competing with each other on some product or service but, at the end of the day, you all share the same problem: No one wants to go to Mindanao on business for fear of a backhoe.

The sooner you all buckle down to work to address this problem, the faster you will fix Mindanao's brand problem. Assuming, of course, you're not a gunrunner in which case it is more prudent for you not to fix this issue.

The best marketing strategists in the world cannot fix Mindanao's branding unless you decide to work together.

And don't depend on the government to do this for you. Unless you're deaf, dumb and blind, you should know that we are nearing the national elections and, therefore, all politicians are preoccupied with hair re-growth.

Mindanao is not the only place suffering from image perception problems that arise from safety and security issues.

Look at Tripoli. 10,000 years ago, could you imagine this place as a beach destination? Ala the assault of Normandy, maybe, but not of the Sports Illustrated kind. Or, how about Columbia? After 10 million movies involving drug lords, it's kinda hard to think of Medellin without imagining yourself being gunned down by warring cocaine junkies.

Mindanao's brand problem cannot be solved overnight but it is not unsolvable. It remains unsolvable because there's a lack of synergy between the crucial agencies and elements to get it moving.

Mindanao's problem is not theirs alone. It is ours as a nation. It can only be solved if we, as a country, decide to finally solve it. Until that happens, all the king's men and all the king's horses cannot put Humpty Dumpty back together again.

What The Marketing Sandbox Taught Me

2009-12-08T12:05:00.006+08:00

What The Marketing Sandbox Taught Me

As 2009 draws to a close, I find myself pondering on the things I've learned in the course of my marketing career.

It wasn't just about work; rather, I learned about handling and managing relationships in the work place in relation to my job as a marketing strategist. I came to realize not only the importance of my own role but also the importance of the other departments I work with and the value they bring to my work. I learned to understand team work and how essential it is to doing my job well.

Most of all, I discovered the stuff that I was made of. I grew to understand my strengths and how to leverage these to my advantage. At the same time, I came face-to-face with my own weaknesses and learned humility from the exercise.

So what are the most important things I've learned during my marketing career?

Be a star. Do not shun the limelight. Most people run in terror when the Big Boss trains his eyes on them. Don't. Instead, revel in it. Take it as an opportunity to show him what you're capable of doing. Of course, I'm assuming here that he's looking at you because you can perform and deliver. Not because you're exasperating him by possessing the IQ of a gnat.

Being the boss' pet is just your 15 minutes of fame. After that, you better make damn sure you've got something between your ears and it should not be earwax. Executives do not live by being sycophants. Visit the Cemetery of Dead Careers and there you will see how their souls do not rest in peace.

Court the attention of your fearless leader. But please don't do so if you're just going to piss him off with inane suggestions and recommendations you thought of when you were stoned. If you have a good idea, don't be afraid to voice them out. Just because they're the boss does not mean to say they are the sole possessors of IQ. That's why they hired competent and qualified executives. To surround themselves with people whom they can voice their ideas to and give them intelligent, expert opinions about it. Bosses with well-grounded egos appreciate suggestions and recommendations.

Do not agree to everything that your boss says especially when your own expertise tells you it's wrong. Not all CEOs or COOs are experts in marketing, finance, operations, etc. They may know some aspects but they don't know all of it. It is your job, therefore, to guide your boss in making an informed decision when it comes to your area of expertise. Nothing kills a career faster than to allow your boss to look like a fool simply because you didn't have the balls to disagree with him. Or, worse, because you're kissing his ass.

Guard your turf but don't be a paranoid creep. Your fellow executives have better things to do with their time than plot your downfall. Practice Sun Tzu if you wish to but, for the love of God, this is not Mongolia. Stop channeling Genghis Khan 24/7.

Ask for help when you need help. Do not immediately assume that, by seeking help, your peers will perceive you as an incompetent moron. No one can know everything. So if you don't know - ask. Because when you don't ask and you just pretend to know hoping no one will discover your pretense, it is a guarantee you will mess up somewhere. When you do, you affect the work of your fellow executives and, then, they will truly hate you.

Take criticism as it comes. Whether it's negative or positive, constructive or not – suck it in. After all, don't you criticize others as well? So, be prepared to take as much as you can give. And, please, do not start quoting biblical verses when someone criticizes you. That is truly annoying. At the end of the day, it's really up to you which criticisms you will take to heart and which you should ignore. But the point is - handle criticism like an adult. Or at least, pretend to be one.

You are only as good as your boss and teammates allow you to be. Learn to play with others in the sandbox. If you can play nice, better. If not, just make sure you don't stuff sand down someone's throat in front of the viewing public. There are many ways to skin a cat and many more ways of being a bitch without announcing it on a billboard.

Value your assistants (or subordinates) and try to mentor them. I do not understand executives who fear their assistants. They're not the descendants of Freddie Kruger, you know. The best compliment I've ever earned in my career was when a former boss told me that other executives were fighting to have my assistant when I left the company. Why? Because she was trained by one of the best. I didn't say I was one of the best; JWG did. There is nothing more gratifying than seeing your assistants fulfill the promise of all that they could be when you first saw their CVs.

You are not irreplaceable. Someone is always better than you. Keep your ego in check and do not believe your own press release. It is good to know your strengths but do not imagine for a nano second that you are infallible. You're not. Even Superman almost died from one pathetic speck of kryptonite. And so shall you.

Have fun. I think it's sad when people view their jobs as merely jobs. Life is too short to spend 8-12 hours each day in misery, right?

Love your job but know also that your job will never love you back. If you expect your career to love you back, you're better off with Tiger Woods. At least, you'll get $80 million AMERICAN dollars for your heartache.

And on that note, The Marketing Girl wishes one and all all a most splendid Christmas!

Photo credit: The Commotion Communications blog

2010 Election: A Marketing View

2009-12-01T01:33:00.006+08:00

2010 Election: A Marketing View

I am not a political consultant. What I am is a marketing consultant and, to me, getting someone elected is...marketing. With a bigger budget.

In branding, the aim is that your target market should be able to know what your brand stands for and articulate the values that your brand espouses. They should be able to relate to it because they have developed an emotional attachment towards your brand.

I do not know what these candidates stand for. Based on the many blog posts I've read about them, I think it's safe to say neither does the rest of the country.

All the presidential candidates utter motherhood statements that make me wonder if their political consultants spent their time and budget reading Hallmark greeting cards at National Bookstore.

Well, O-F C-O-U-R-S-E, you're promising to alleviate poverty and improve education. Only the most clueless of candidates will not promise that.

I do not want to hear your promise of improving the Philippine economy. I want you to tell me exactly how you're going to accomplish that. Because if you're going to be pawning all my body organs to the World Bank in order to do so, I'd really like to know before the Men in Black take away my liver.

I look at the many political ads on TV and all I can deduce from them is this:

When stranded in the Middle East, Manny Villar will give me money for my plane fare home. Dick Gordon will make us exercise for 6 years - stand up, sit down, stand up, sit down.

Noynoy Aquino, on the other hand, will make sure we have a steady supply of torches should there be power failures during his term. And believe me, there will be power failures - from the 10 Louis Vuitton trunks of blow dryers Kris Aquino will be hauling to Malacañang as she assumes the role of Noynoy's de facto First Lady. On the bright side, we shall all be wearing Chanel earrings.

In marketing, we use advertising as one of the means by which we deliver our message to our target market. The advertising plan springs from the marketing strategy that is aimed at achieving our marketing objectives which, in turn, helps the company achieve its business goals.

So I do not understand why, in God's name, do all these candidates have horrible videos? You would think that, with the billions of campaign budgets they have, they could at least hire a decent team who will execute their communications plan with clarity and class.

Mar Roxas' pedicab video was too cheesy for words. I understand emotional pull but really. Do we have to use street children to make our messages emotional? Shouldn't he, with the Wharton education and blinding pedigree, be above this?

And what's with that stepping aside speech? "I will make this great sacrifice for love of country..." yada yada yada. Isn't that why it's called a sacrifice - because we didn't call a press conference to announce it? How is his speech any less self-righteous than Chiz Escudero's? In fairness, at least, Mar isn't an ungrateful ass like Chiz.

Somebody should have fired their speechwriters. Or made them go through marketing management lessons first.

How about Gibo Teodoro's equally forgettable video? The only thing I can remember from it is how the camera focused mercilessly on his receding hairline as he slowly raises his head in that creepy way Freddie Kruger does before he chops his victims’ heads off. It's very Chuckie. With less hair.

Of course, there is the now infamous manananggal hunting-meets-Salem witch burning-meets-Ku Klux Clan lynching video of Noynoy's.

For a candidate with Yoly Ong on board his team, how could that video happen? Then again, if Kris Aquino and Boy Abunda are riding on your ass, nothing less than the so-last-season We Are The World concept will do - lest you forget she is Kris Aquino and can, therefore, ensure that, should you ever be lost in a forest, never fear. Dingdong Dantes will be with you.

Why do we remain blissfully in love with the We Are The World/BandAid concept? MJ is dead, people. Really and truly. May his soul rest in peace.

Thankfully, Noynoy's hideous video has now been replaced by the same boring video concept (story board) that Manny Villar, Gibo Teodoro and Dick Gordon have. I'd rather have boring than hideous.

On the bright side, Noynoy is now doing VLogs. It's a good vehicle for him to tell people of his platform and advocacies. But why oh why, Delilah, did he walk out of the second part of Mel Tiangco's Isang Tanong, Isang Sagot? What, he has no Isang Sagot at all to anything?

Noynoy's campaign seems to be trying very hard to copy the Obama campaign. And while it's good he is using social media, can someone tell his people that 3 Facebook fan pages is overkill? Use social media but don't use it like you're on steroids, for goodness' sakes.

From a marketing point of view, these people should go back to the drawing board with their team and seriously re-think their campaigns.

It's...baaaaaad.

Photo credit: Focusoncrofton.com

The Halloween That Was

2009-11-03T09:22:00.003+08:00

The Halloween That Was

The long weekend that was All Souls' and All Saints' Day came to pass.

Amazingly, I was not busy. The storm, Santi, made sure most marketing activities for the weekend were either cancelled or postponed. Cemeteries got flooded and were muddy. People were not in the mood to trick or treat because of the unpredictable weather.

And so I found myself with nothing to blog about, marketing-wise.

I finally watched Kimmy Dora. Not as hilarious as I expected but I think that's because I had the...er...not so authentic version. Okay, fine! It was a pirated copy I borrowed from my neighbor. At least, I didn't buy it myself. There's a happy thought.

My car got vandalized. Some dude drunk from Halloween revelry decided to take his anger out on my side mirror. Howell. Life. Some things like a smashed side mirror - you simply let them slide.

A guy I used to hang out with (in my opinion, I was NOT dating him) got in touch with me for some marketing consultation about some business his wife wants to put up.

Hmmm...but didn't she take great delight before in pointing out to me that she has an illustrious MBA from some prestigious grad school somewhere out there? What's she doing asking me for marketing advice? After all, didn't she used to think that I was a moron for declining the trophy wife life her hubby offered to me THRICE before he offered it to her ONCE?

If I had accepted the offer, you would not be having the life you have now, dear. So, perhaps, it is in your best interests to stop being a patronizing, condescending b*tch to me lest I decide to take back what was originally mine. How's that for a wake up call? Just be glad I said no THRICE and shut up.

In how many paragraphs and languages must I repeatedly state that I love my life just the way it is? I chose this life because this is the life I wanted, want and will always want. I do not feel bad at all that I am single nor do I feel unwanted because I have chosen not to date anyone. The operative word being "chosen."

I am married to my marketing career and I am happy being married to a career that, I also know, will never love me back. Now, go away and leave me alone.

So did I give the marketing advice I was being asked for? Of course, I did. Why would I begrudge someone my expert marketing advice if they asked for it? I've been blessed with so many wonderful things, the least I can do is be generous with my brains which, by the way, would not have been this brilliant (no, I am not humble at all- hahaha!) if God did not give it to me in the first place.

Anyway, I find it funny that some marketing experts can charge their fees with the speed of taxi meters. They dispense 2 sentences of marketing advice (that can be Googled for anyway if one just has the patience to Google) and voila! There goes your pancreas.

COME ON, PEOPLE! It's just an opinion, for heaven's sakes! You're not being asked to conceptualize an entire marketing campaign.

Marketing experts are a dime a dozen. Some just happen to be better at marketing themselves which is how they ended up dominating the blogosphere.

But just because they market themselves better doesn't mean their marketing advice is better and unique. Some can just be lazy preferring to watch pirated videos instead of blogging about achievements and successes.

Marketing concepts remain the same no matter how many vowels or consonants you use to make it sound new. The difference simply lies in how each marketing expert's brain is wired.

In the hands of a gifted marketing strategist, a simple marketing concept can sound genius but it doesn't put the concept in the same league as the Law of Gravity. We don't get a lot of Einsteins and Newtons in marketing, sorry.

So if someone asks for your marketing opinion, will you just give the damn opinion without holding his liver for ransom? It's not as if you're giving them the launch codes for a missile attack.

Sidebar: However, if he comes with a b*tch wife, by all means hold the b*tch wife's liver hostage. (Well, of course, I can be petty. I'm only human, you know.)

Me? I like to think of these instances as opportunities to hone my marketing thinking. The more my brains get picked, the sharper it becomes, the better I am at my job. When I am better at my job, I get more clients. Ka-ching!

Generosity is never a bad thing.

Photo credit: Anotherfort from Zazzle.com

RIP, Eric?

2009-10-30T21:56:00.006+08:00

RIP, Eric?

Waaaah. My beloved Sony Ericsson K310i is about to rest in peace. Waaaah.

I don't care if it's an old model. I love this phone. It fits into my jeans pocket snugly.

Plus, I have many, many happy memories with it. Now, it's conking out. Why oh why?! Didn't we promise to love each other till death do us part?! How can you die so soon and so...now?

I'm going to go to the Fix-it shop and see if they can still breathe new life into it. I don't care what all the techno-geeks say. I want this particular phone. Period.

Don't leave me, Eric!

I love you with a love that is more than love...me and my Eric. (My thanks to Edgar Allan Poe for allowing me to butcher his famous Annabel Lee.)

Photo credit: skymobilezone.wordpress.com

The Starbucks Experience: Excellent Customer Service

2009-10-30T21:40:00.005+08:00

The Starbucks Experience:
Excellent Customer Service

The other day, I arrived quite early at Makati Shangrila for my meeting.

Yes, you read it right. I arrived early. Okay, now slowly exhale. Close your mouth or the flies will come in. Start breathing normally. Breathe in, breathe out. Don't rush or you will hyperventilate.

I arrived early. Get over it. Not knowing what to do with myself, I walked over to the nearby Starbucks for my java fix. No, the coffee is not good at Shangrila. I know this through my many, many toilet visits after a cup of brewed coffee from their coffee shop.

I ordered for a vanilla frappucino and walked over to the magazine rack as I waited for my iced blended coffee. Suddenly, I noticed the guy behind me picking up his java. Hello! Wasn't I ahead of him? Yes, I was. Then, what's he doing walking away with his tall cappuccino while I'm holding last month's Tatler magazine instead of my venti vanilla frap?

I called one of the baristas and asked about my coffee. That's when they realized they had forgotten mine. My usual grumpy self would have bitched about it. But, it was only 8am and only a few days before Halloween. Some things we do not do at 8am a few days before Halloween lest we will know how the Salem witches felt while being burned alive.

On my way out, the shift manager approached me and asked if I was the customer whose coffee they had forgotten to serve promptly. I harrumphed my answer and Grumpy suddenly got a pleasant surprise.

"Ma'am, we apologize for the inconvenience. Please accept this gift certificate as part of our apology and we hope you will have a more pleasant experience next time you visit us."

I finally realized why my damn coffee always costs a fortune and it isn't only because of the extra whip cream.

That, ladies and gents, is called excellent customer service.

No questions, no excuses, no long-winded explanations, nothing. Just an admission of their mistake and an outright apology along with a gift certificate to convey their sincerity. Note that it was a gift certificate for any product of your choice, not some crappy GC worth only P50.00.

The Starbucks experience didn't end there.

Later in the afternoon, I picked up another venti vanilla frap to soothe my frazzled nerves. I remembered my GC and asked if they would honor it at this particular branch since the GC had originated from a different store. Yes, they sure did.

I chose the strawberries and cream frappucino for Angel. Tall.

You know what the Starbucks people told me? "Ma'am, it's free anyway so why don't we just make it a venti instead of just tall? That way, you really get to enjoy the product."

I don't know about you but I've decided to stay with Starbucks and finally stop my continuing adventures with other coffee shops.

Photo credit: Nijntjee's Flickr Photostream

Social Networking Etiquette In A Corn Field

2009-10-26T00:55:00.005+08:00

Social Media Etiquette In A Corn Field

Having spent many hours blocking people from my FB, I think I've earned the right to make my own social media etiquette. Otherwise, my eye doctor will never forgive me for sacrificing my eyesight in vain.

Rule #1: Do not stalk people.

Not only is it in bad taste but it is also a criminal offense. People, it is a crime, crime and C-R-I-M-E to stalk others.

Rule #2: Who your Significant Other, children, parents or pets connect to is an issue between yourself and them.

Please, for the love of God, do not harass some unsuspecting creature just because she is connected to your husband on a social networking site. If you must harass someone, you should be harassing him. For all you know, she was simply being polite to him and, therefore, accepted the request to connect.

You're probably the only one on earth who thinks he’s the next best thing to sliced bread. Cease and desist from being delusional and overly ambitious before you humiliate yourself any further.

Rule #3: Do not connect to people out of sheer politeness.

F*ck politeness if you know he or she sleeps with a certified psychotic creep. It is a guarantee your life will become a living hell. I know. I am the moron who was too polite to say no and look where it got me – the ultimate stalker's magnet.

Rule #4: Connect for the right reasons.

If your guts tell you to deny the request, do so. It's probably because your guts can smell trouble a billion bytes away.

If you are going to connect to someone you had a past with, ask yourself first if the world will explode if you don't. Do not call for the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse by sending out a connection request to your ex.

Rule #5: Do not harvest other people's friend list.

That's just tacky especially when these people don't know you from the Serpent of Eden. I've had friends complaining about some of my FB friends who connected to them for no reason. It's embarrassing trying to stutter some coherent reply to reassure them that, no, my friend is not a psycho. He just had too much coffee this morning.

We harvest corn; we do not harvest friends' lists.

Rule #6: If you connect to a stranger for networking purposes, exercise good manners by first sending a private message explaining why you're connecting to them.

Since mental telepathy is not a talent I was born with, I do not know why you would want to connect to me.

Oh. Because you're also in marketing? If all the marketers of the planet were connected on Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg would now be undergoing trial at Salem.

Rule #7: Do not spam your connections with your products or services.

I rarely hawk my marketing services online. It is enough that people know I'm a marketing consultant, ergo, The Marketing Girl. There is no need for me to beat them on the head with it.

Do I still get clients even if I don't peddle my wares? Yes. Because this blog tells them I have marketing brains. 'Nuff said.

If you build your reputation well, you do not need to abduct anyone to go to the Iowa corn field. They will do so with or without Kevin Costner and his ghost ballplayers.

Social networking is a fun way of meeting new people, making more friends and gaining new clients or business partnerships. It stops being that when some people forget to visit their therapist. Or ate too much okra.

Trolls Are Not Welcomed Here

2009-10-26T00:47:00.004+08:00

Trolls Are Not Welcomed Here

My Facebook was really intended for my global clients and business friends. It was a chance for my business associates and clients to view me as a human being, not some marketing android come to blight the earth with her presence.

Last year, however, Filipino presence on FB spiked. So it was that I found myself getting friend requests from school friends, relatives and people who were very, very dim dots in my memory.

I accepted these requests with a lot of paranoia and trepidation. After all, I am a stalker magnet. And I was not disappointed.

No matter how tight my security settings were, ex-boyfriends still found me on mutual friends' FB. That, of course, meant their marauding girlfriends and Significant Others could see me even if they couldn't access my data. Very annoying, I tell 'ya.

Close on their heels are the equally psychotic creatures who reside in the periphery of my working life. Their sole joy in life seems to be making sure mine is miserable by regularly monitoring whatever the hell I do on my FB.

Correction: They are not interested in what I do with my life per se. They are simply interested to know if I interact with their men aka communicate. Sigh. What very sad, misguided creatures, really.

HENIWEY.

I finally got sick and tired of these trolls lurking on my FB when I saw an ex on a mutual friend's FB.

Oh dear God. Let me guess. His severely retarded wife (who hates me because my ex decreed I should be their child's godmother) is also on FB. Of course, she is.

Clearly, it is time to block another looong set of people from my FB.

That's how I found myself practically going cross-eyed as I doggedly scanned the friend list of my friends who may just know an ex or another troll.

As of this moment, I've blocked more than 20 people. 20 and steadily increasing. If this goes on, I'll deactivate the damned FB account.

Social media, I realized, is fun and helpful only when your life is not overpopulated by trolls. Since mine is, I am now tempted to disappear online for good. Except I can’t. My career will die a very unceremonious death and no troll or zombie is just worth that agony.

These trolls are out of control. I strongly recommend they get a life.

Photo credit: Prometheus_012

Hmmm...

2009-10-24T23:34:00.005+08:00

Hmmm...

Why don't I like the DOT's new video for its Take Me To The Philippines campaign? Let me count the ways.

First, what brilliant mind thought a Giling Girl will actually enhance the image of the Philippines in a foreigner's mind? All it does is reinforcing the notion that our biggest export is our women. And, yes, because we are the land of mail order brides, you really should come here to get your very own Giling Girl.

Second, why oh why are we using computer graphics? It does not even begin to convey the Philippines' wide array of incredible natural resources.

Third, there is just way too much of Apl de Ap on that video and not enough of his birth country. I'm nitpicking but he looked like a fly with those shades. Them shades were very upsetting. Yes, dear, we know you are an award-winning Grammy artist and the giant shades are very Grammy's but really. The video is not supposed to be selling you. It's supposed to sell the Philippines.

Sad really because Apl de Ap's endorsement pull was put to waste. In the hands of a gifted creative director like David Guerrero, that would have been another stroke of advertising genius like David's unforgettable Wow Philippines series.

Fourth, the message was not clear. Maybe because all I could hear was the melody of the song? All those synthesizers and thingamajigs.

Admittedly, the editing was funky. I liked that part. But, overall, it failed in its goal: selling the Philippines.

Ultimately, all advertising and marketing materials are supposed to do that: sell something. To get there, however, we must first have a coherent, cohesive, strategic, efficient and effective marketing plan. There, I've used up all the words on Thesaurus. My English professor would be very proud of me.

Don't get me wrong. I laud the DOT's efforts in pushing the country's tourism goals. We just need to think and plan more strategically is what I'm saying.

We should have continued the original Wow Philippines campaign with those amazing TVCs from David Guerrero. Those TVCs did what they were supposed to do - sell. Everything was just crystal clear - from the tagline to the scoring to the video. Beautiful, efficient, effective and strategic. Eye loveeet!

Speaking of tourism efforts - I love Colombia’s tagline: the only risk is in wanting to stay.

We all know what Colombia's notorious international image is. The Colombians themselves know it and I'm sure all their friendly neighborhood drug lords also know it. So they dealt with the main image problem at hand by confronting it. Voila! The risk is in staying, not being gunned down by warring drug lords and their henchmen. Goodbye, Jack Ryan.

The video is not the most amazing, I know. But when you see through it that Medellin is actually a place of fashion and people do walk around Bogota sans baby armalites - the video succeeded in conveying a message that tackled the problem head on. And may I just say that the Spanish language never sounded this sexy?

I thought that last touch with the man saying the tagline ala The Godfather was a really cool and humorous way of addressing the issue.

Sometimes, it doesn't always have to be the most amazing, mind-boggling award winning video. There are very few David Guerreros in this world and I highly doubt his mother can replicate him.

The important thing in any marketing or advertising material is to bring the message out in a manner that your target market would understand and grasp.

My Very Own Parol

2009-10-24T22:30:00.003+08:00

My Very Own Parol

I finally have a parol!!!

I always wanted one except I couldn't afford it. Seriously. I never realized these things cost a fortune!

A few years ago, I asked one of the several parol vendors on Buendia about the price of one parol. The Coke Light I was drinking immediately shot out of my nose.

P5,000?! ARE YOU ON DRUGS?! It's a freakin' lantern, for the love of God, not the Star of David!

Parol vendor wouldn't budge. He gave me a crummy P50.00 discount. What am I going to do with that? Buy hopia to go with the remains of my Coke Light now wonderfully dripping out of my nostrils?!

Today, I got one from a client. Whee! He asked me what I really wanted for Christmas and I said a parol. If he gave me another bottle of wine, I'll poke his eye with a wine opener.

Client thought I was kidding. No, I was not. I want a parol. I cannot be Filipino and not have a parol during Christmas.

Every Christmas, I look at my neighbor's houses longing for a parol. I have parols at home but not the Pampanga parol. And I wanted a Pampanga parol.

Santa Client gave me one. It's not so huge because I didn't want the parol to drown my entire balcony. People might start to believe I actually live inside the lantern. I've already got way too much urban legends about me, I cannot have another one lest I end up on Scopes.com.

I love Pampanga parols. They're so bright and colorful. Christmas time, Angel and I always like standing on one end of the SLEX-Buendia Highway where all the parols are. We just stare at the twinkling lights.

Parols, without fail, make me believe again and again in the magic of Christmas. And, on that note...

MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!!!

Photo credit: IRRI Newsletter

The Marketing Girl Is A Very Busy Bumblebee

2009-10-24T22:18:00.004+08:00

The Marketing Girl Is A Very Busy Bumblebee

Of course, my blog has been eerily silent again. Life has been spectacularly busy. I prefer to use spectacularly because if I don't, I fear I shall slash my wrists with a peeler.

There was the super typhoon, Ondoy (international name: Parma). Sigh. I don't want to re-live my 12 hours of horror inside my car amidst rushing and swirling flood waters. I survived. That's the most important thing, Gloria Gaynor said so.

I have a new stalker but then what else is new? I always get stalked. Some people are just born insane and psychotic. It's why my mother has a successful career as a psychiatrist. Having been victimized by stalkers in all shapes and sizes for many years now, I've come to the conclusion that stalkers are like fungi. We need them for the food chain to survive.

There was also a controversy spanning several continents where yours truly had the unwitting role of Best Supporting Actress. What can I say? I'm very global. No clue either how I figured in the controversy. Maybe I sleep walked, who knows.

And, naturally, my hectic life will not come full circle if work does not get in the way of living. Clients will be clients. Suppliers will be suppliers. My life will not be complete without one or both having a major coronary every 10 seconds for some reason or another. The emergency room was invented with my life in mind.

For the nth time, it's the recession, folks. We do what we can to survive it.

Unfortunately, The Marketing Girl cannot leap tall buildings in a single bounce. I tried but my fat ass just wouldn't bounce to the occasion.

It's that time of the year so, yes, expect the posts to be less frequent.

My multitasking skills are severely limited right now to budgets, forecasts and revenues. As is my annoying habit at this time of the year, I am wonderfully confused again with the currency my Excel files require. Somehow, the euro, dollar and peso have metamorphosed into something hideous: a question mark.

P.S. It wouldn't be me if I wasn't confused several times in one day, hello.

Sometimes, I question why I didn't just choose to be a secretary. Or call center agent. Wouldn't my life be simpler if I wasn't the ambitious brat that I am? Wouldn't my life be quieter if I just had the sense not to insist on ruling the world?

Perhaps, if I did, I'd be married now with 10 children. Oh dear God.

So. In conclusion, I just want to say I have not abandoned any ship. I'm just having trouble getting my schedules to behave humanely. Yeah, yeah, yeah. My time management skills suck.

By busy, I mean life as I know it to be including Le Debut has screeched to a halt to give way to budgets, forecasts and business reviews.

Indeed, 'tis that time of the year.

Photo credit: The KJ4CMH Show

The Ugly Truth

2009-09-15T11:07:00.005+08:00

The Ugly Truth

While waiting for a friend, I broke a rule. I bought a new marketing book. As if I don't have enough of them already. Sigh.

Hey, the cover was nice and shiny. Plus, the first few pages grabbed my attention. So I closed my eyes and bought the damn book. It's Harry Beckwith's The Invisible Touch.

I couldn't help smiling as I was reading the first chapter where Beckwith talks about market research. That is sooo me! Me with my addiction to market research. Me with my fear of moving my fat behind without a survey to back me up.

Beckwith says, "Research does not expose the truth; it blinds us to it."

It is true, you know. I don't know about you but 8 out of 10 times that I conduct a market research study, I do so to confirm my own biases. It's the know-it-all in me.

Of course, I did not come upon that startling realization until Mr. Beckwith came along. So in the event my marketing career dies an unceremonious death, I intend to put the blame squarely on Mr. Beckwith and his book.

Pre-Invisible Touch, I would have bludgeoned anyone to death for daring to suggest I was doing that. Mr. Beckwith, I am happy to report, has not been bludgeoned to death by me. He is, in fact, living a happy, healthy life in Minnesota where he has a thriving marketing career.

I often thought I conducted market research to point me in the right direction. Of course, that still holds true sans Harry Beckwith. Except, now, I am aware that, sometimes, I could be conducting market research for reasons that have nothing to do with marketing but everything to do with my ego as a marketer.

When I find myself arguing with a client who insists on launching a product that would best serve Klingons and their galactic forces, I resort to market research.

Let's find out what our customers really want through a scientific way!

Yeah, right. Actually, it's simply to prove I'm correct and everybody else is wrong. Period. End of discussion. No erase.

Often, I find myself sifting through the results to get data that only supports my own recommendations. I know, I know! I should stand trial at Nuremberg. But if we're really honest with ourselves, a lot of us are guilty of that. And we wonder why marketers are perceived by the world as spawns of Satan?!

I'm not saying we shouldn't do market research or that market research is useless. Neither is Beckwith.

I'm echoing Beckwith that we should seek understanding through market research but be careful with the data we get from it. Moreover, be careful with how we use that data.

Some dude from the dead Lehman Brothers (may their corporate souls rest in peace) said that people working on Wall Street have egos. Otherwise, they wouldn't be there. I shall paraphrase that.

Marketers have egos. Otherwise, they would not be in marketing.

Therefore, when conducting market research and analyzing the data gathered from it, it is best to park our egos somewhere. Preferably in a guarded parking lot. That way, if the stupid ego attempts to leave, the guard can shoot it.

I enjoyed Beckwith's book. Well, the first chapter, at least. I haven't gotten to Chapter 2 yet.

The last time a marketing book made me smile (yes, doubting Thomases, it is really quite possible for a boring business book to bring out a smile), it was Jeffrey Fox's How to Be a Marketing Superstar. Before that, it was Darryl Travis' Emotional Branding where he also mentioned his friend, Harry.

I am inclined to believe now that anybody who wants to write an amusing marketing book needs a friend named Harry or should go by the name Harry.

Henceforth, I shall be known as Harry.

That Marketing Personality

2009-08-25T10:16:00.003+08:00

That Marketing Personality

A usual comment I often hear about me: "She really is a marketing person."

What do you men? It's raining men, alleluia.

She's really a marketing person, ergo, not human. She's really a marketing person so expect horns to sprout out of her skull at any moment.

What, pray tell, is "really a marketing person"?

My friend, Grace, a marketing consultant herself, was once described as having an equally abrasive personality. Babalatan ka muna ng buhay before she decides to like you. (She will peel you alive first before she decides to like you.) The description was quickly followed by, "Marketing people are like that."

What "like dat"? Again, what do you men? It's raining men, alleluia.

Often, I am "politely" told that I have a very "strong" personality. Read: annoying. "That's probably why you're in marketing, Sun." Okay, I'm confused. What does "strong" personality mean? And what does that have to do with my marketing career?

I think a lot of people have preconceived notions of what marketing people are like and should be like. And marketing people, a rather sorry lot themselves, seem to revel in all those preconceived notions by not doing anything about it. Albeit, they seem to encourage that kind of misconception by shrugging their shoulders and excusing themselves as "we're in marketing." It actually seems like a badge of honor to be described as having a strong, aggressive and, frequently, abrasive personality.

Why is that? How did we get to that? Is it not remotely possible to be meek and docile and still be in marketing? Is it so impossible to be a nice girl and still be in marketing?

Yes, ladies and gents, it's one of those days where yours truly will subject you to a lot of psycho babble b.s. This is what happens to marketing consultants who have watched too many Boston Legal reruns after a string of marathon business trips.

I got to thinking about myself, a rather dangerous past time to do before breakfast.

I think the strong personality was already there when I was still a pathetic zygote. I come from the school of thought that believes that brilliant marketing strategists are born with marketing talent. True, marketing skills can be honed and sharpened to make one a decent marketing strategist. But brilliant ones? It's in their DNA.

Well, of course, I think I'm brilliant. This is my blog, you know.

This "strong personality" thing gets more enhanced and becomes blindingly obvious as you establish your marketing career. For me, it's because I always have to hold my ground against equally strong personalities.

Do you know of a CEO or COO without personality issues? Exactly. So if you do not want to be eaten alive, you better have a personality that can hold its own against those with personalities bigger than yours. And may I just say - whose voices thunder even while they whisper.

Somehow, along the way, your ego gets the better of you. As with most power jobs, you will eventually trip over your own self and start believing your own press releases.

Having been a victim of my own ego, I now take the position that, really, marketing people should try harder to be likeable. Every day doesn't always have to be spent in a war zone, you know. Not everyone is the enemy. Certainly, not all who disagree with you should be beheaded by the knave of hearts.

We take ourselves way too seriously simply because we’re marketing experts. In the words of a client, "Sunny, relax." Having observed how many fine lines I now have on my forehead, I totally agree with Client. I should relax.

So someone made a stupid suggestion. Let it go. What can you do? The poor fool is in operations, purchasing, logistics or finance. Take your pick.

So someone thinks he's better than you. Let him. Have you not heard? The truth shall prevail. He can only pretend so much before people around both of you realize he's really a complete moron. Thus, the herd shall return to you, their marketing expert, for sound advice after an oaf gave them one. Meanwhile, use this time to take that much needed vacation. Return when Rome is burning and do a Maximus. "Are you entertaaaaiiiined now, Roooome?"

We marketing experts should learn to choose our battles wisely. We should do so with as much fervor as we choose our industry niches and target markets.

It is not a bad thing to be the bigger person by letting someone else have the glory and thunder. Besides, shouldn't we be used to this by now? That everyone else gets the glory and thunder while we get all the blame?

Arrogance is never a badge of honor. The ability to rise above one's self in humility is. And, now, I need to go watch more Boston Legal reruns. I must channel Shirley Schmidt.

Photo credit: Cinescene.com

Who Are We?

2009-08-24T10:51:00.003+08:00

Who Are We?

In the recent years, the Philippines' Department of Tourism has been quite aggressive in promoting the country to local and foreign tourists. A lot of simultaneous marketing programs are going on to boost the country's tourism industry.

While I find it all good, I just have this teeny, tiny concern: the DOT marketing campaigns are all over the place.

One day, the Philippines is the medical tourism hub of Asia. The next day, it's the adventure and eco-tourism capital. Recently, it's the retirement destination with the government offering special visas for those wanting to retire in the Philippines.

Even provinces are quite chaotic in their marketing message. Some are adventure destinations-slash-convention capital-slash-something whatever.

People, you cannot be everything to everyone. That's elementary marketing and one the DOT should know by now.

There are 7,100 islands in our beautiful archipelago, let's not stash everything in only one place, ok? Can you just all sit down and make up your minds who gets what and how?

If one is already an adventure destination, let's not use it on another. I'm not saying you shouldn't use adventure at all just because one province is already doing it. I'm saying own another position. Unless, of course, the Philippines simply wants to be known as an adventure destination. In which case, all the islands should position themselves as an adventure destination.

Clearly, that's not what we want.

Our country has many things to offer to tourists and we want to sell all of these. But we can't sell anything if our target market is just so confused on what it is we're really selling. We cannot just dump every single position known to man on one province and expect our target market to still understand us. Destination marketing and nation branding is not a buffet, you know.

We should clearly identify who we are as a nation first. Then, work our way to our provinces.

Brand Channel discusses how Switzerland is protecting its brand value as a nation. It would do our DOT people a lot of good if they read the article. Gives you an insight on how the Swiss value their brand positioning in today's nation branded world.

When you think of Switzerland, you associate it with watches and chocolates. You associate it with all things expensive because you know that the quality that comes out of that country is impeccable and beyond reproach. Well, maybe, not all if you consider the Swiss banks. Still.

However, when one thinks of the Philippines, you cannot pin it down on just one thing. There is no clear picture in your head on who and what the country is all about.

Hmmm...not really true as it seems that the clear picture of the international community about the Philippines is one of kidnapping terrorists.

Perhaps, the DOT should prioritize that first. Building a positive mental image of the country in the minds of the international community. And by positive, I do not mean just hyping on the natural beauty of our beaches that, by the way, are sometimes associated with drunk and stoned foreign backpackers.

The Swiss even have a brand manual. Abu Dhabi, I think, is doing one. I know that they have a government office whose primary aim is selling the Abu Dhabi brand. Forgot the office's acronym but I read about it somewhere before.

The Philippines has no brand manual. Perhaps, because we don't know what our "corporate identity" really is. We have not sat down to define it. Right now, it's just every province for himself.

It would be nice if the DOT can take the lead on this and really start working on defining who and what the Philippines is all about. From there, we can start conceptualizing a cohesive marketing campaign that will build and boost our nation's brand.

Not the way we're doing it now where we just jumped right into a campaign without any clear concept on where we're headed. It seems we launch campaigns on a prayer that the diwatas would bestow it with success.

I long for that day where when people think of the Philippines, they will have a solid, positive image in mind and one that doesn’t include bikini-clad Filipinas for sale.

Are You Ready To Work It?

2009-08-24T10:05:00.001+08:00

Are You Ready To Work It?

I cannot help but wonder what stupid crap our universities teach our fresh college graduates that they have such a condescending attitude towards entry level work.

Most of them feel as if the world owes them a cushy job just because they have a newly-minted college degree. They join the marketing work force expecting their bosses to be grateful they deigned to apply at the company. They expect their co-workers to adjust to them and treat them with kid gloves as if the idea that they would walk out of their first job is a horrible thought to their bosses.

Oh please. I'd be so damn lucky if you resign.

Most are deluded enough to think that they deserve to be junior managers immediately. As if they already learned everything there is to learn about marketing while in college. Makes you wonder if they were ever breastfed as babies.

A lot of them find it beneath them to do menial jobs. Excuse me. Even as a marketing consultant now, I still do the grunge work if there's no one around to do it. I cannot waste a client's time while I wait for Godot to fax over documents to them.

For you to be a boss, you must first learn to be a subordinate. A boss is only as good as his assistants allow him to be. For you to be an efficient and effective boss, you must first be an efficient and effective assistant.

And that begins with the right attitude.

Of course, you don't want to spend the rest of your life faxing documents. You didn't spend all that time in college just so you can have a career brewing the perfect coffee for your boss.

But the reality is that fresh graduates are really doomed to spend their first few years at work doing crappy tasks for their bosses.

Why? Because you don't know apesh*t yet, that's why!

Why would I let you handle a marketing campaign no matter how small when the only thing you know about marketing is what you learned from your ancient college professor? I wouldn't even ask you to make a simple memo because horrible things can happen to a simple memo when delusional fresh graduates (especially those who graduated with honors) get a hold of it. After all, if I can still correct memos written by older, supposedly wiser and more experienced managers, what more a memo written by an inexperienced fresh graduate?

I read an article once on the Harvard Business Review that tells fresh graduates not to bitch about their menial duties at their first jobs. The article (I forgot the title) says that fresh graduates should take this time to learn how the business works from top to bottom.

I have done my time with the fax machines. I hated it. I rebelled at the idea that some schmuck who didn't have the same educational background as moi had relegated me to the demeaning job of faxing documents for an entire afternoon.

Fortunately for me, the fax machine was located at the cubicle of the secretary of the SVP for Finance. 10,000 rolls of thermal paper later, the SVP and I became good friends.

He taught me many things about finance, none of which I understood. The most important thing I learned from him, though, is how useful it will be for me as a marketing person to get on the good side of financial bigwigs who can, with a slash of their pen, make or un-make my marketing budget.

All because I learned to swallow my ego as I spent many hours faxing documents from his office. Would I have learned what I now know about financial comptrollers and their role in my life as a marketing strategist if I had allowed my ego to get in the way? Resounding no.

When I was a Product Manager at an FMCG company, I would launch my products in the wee hours of the morning. That's the time the salesmen left to deliver the goods.
To encourage the salesmen to be attentive during my product roll-outs, I would make sure they have hot cups of coffee and filling sandwiches. Do you have any idea how long it takes to put tuna filling on a hundred sandwiches? 1 hour and 30 minutes. I know that because I made the damn sandwiches myself while my assistant made the coffee. To think I was already a PM then.

Still, those tuna sandwiches taught me what I needed to do to get the sales force to move my products. If I cannot sell it to my own sales team, I cannot sell it to my target market.

While I agree that it can be humiliating to do menial work because it's insulting to your intelligence, you have 2 choices: you try to learn something or you don't.

There is no task too small for anyone willing to learn in order to widen and sharpen their skills.

Having the right attitude, possessing humility and a willingness to learn all that you can are essential keys to jump starting your marketing career.

Si Malakas

2009-08-14T12:28:00.010+08:00

Malakas, The Ilocano Version

Words fail me.

Lito Sy is an amazing photographer. But, sometimes, what can you do when clients are delusional, right?

Photo Credit: Lito Sy

Customer Service That Warms The Heart

2009-08-14T11:20:00.002+08:00

Customer Service That Warms The Heart

The thing about being a marketing consultant is that you know what customer service is all about. At least, any marketing consultant worth the title should. And because you know it, you demand - note: demand, not expect - it from businesses where you are now the customer.

That, boys and girls, is how I became the ultimate Customer from Hell. Because it is an occupational hazard for which I strongly believe my insurance should cover.

Yet, while I can be that, I do have a cache of wonderful customer service stories that I hold near and dear to my jaded customer's heart.

Once, on an overnight business trip, I stayed at a hotel that didn't provide free Wifi access. However, they sold prepaid Wifi cards. Unfortunately, they ran out of 1-hour prepaid cards by 2am. I was leaving on the first flight the following day so buying a 6-hour prepaid Wifi card was out of the question.

What did Microtel do? They simply allowed me access to the hotel's Wifi account. When I asked them about the Wifi charging, they informed me that it was free because it wasn't my fault that they ran out of 1-hour prepaid Wifi cards. I could use the Wifi for as long as I wanted free of charge.

Therefore, I strongly recommend staying at Microtel for quick business trips because they understand the needs of a business traveler.

At Flapjacks in Greenbelt, a giant fly suddenly dove into my salad. Obviously, this was a very misguided fly who thought I was giving him permission to share my chicken strips. I had the staff remove my plate and simply said that a fly landed on my salad.

Flapjacks immediately sent me a replacement of the salad I had ordered. I declined because I wasn't really up to eating anymore. Again, without my saying anything, Flapjacks wrapped up my salad and handed it to me on a Take Out bag.

Not the best restaurant in the area but if only for good customer service, one must visit Flapjacks.

I bank at Chinabank and I totally love the people there. From the main office down to the branch where my account is held, everyone is uber-fantastic. I always feel a sense of family whenever I call the bank to ask about my account.

"Ay, Ma'am! Ikaw pala. Hindi ko nakilala boses mo." (Ma'am, it's you. Didn't recognize your voice.)
"Nasa byahe ka, Ma'am? Hindi ka namin nakikita lately e." (Are you traveling right now? We haven't seen you lately.)

When I run into some issues with foreign currencies coming in to my account, Chinabank takes care of it all with the least bother to me. Sometimes, they don't even charge me anymore for some SWIFT messages they send on my behalf to European banks whenever some remittances encounter routing problems between Europe and the Philippines.

Get baaaack, BIR people!!!

I don't earn that much. I'm merely mentioning foreign currencies because duh. How else will global clients pay me if not in the currency of their own country?

East West Bank is the bank that takes care of my condo unit. Everyone at the Pasong Tamo Extension branch is just lovely. Whenever I step inside the bank, the staff takes the time to ask me about my day and Angel. I don't feel like I'm just another statistic to them.

They recently celebrated their branch's anniversary. They gave me and Angel a balloon each. Kyut!

Good customer service is when the business establishment makes me feel that I am a living, breathing entity. Not just another dot on their sales graphs.

I feel good when they know my name especially if I am a regular customer. I appreciate it when they ask about my day and remember little things about me no matter how trivial these are. I value places that can anticipate my needs long before I even know what they are or be able to articulate them.

Sometimes, great customer service requires a little mind reading along with the ability to analyze facial expressions and body language.

However, the quality that makes for exceptional - as opposed to simply being good or great - customer service lies in sincerity. You can read all the manuals, books and blogs that you like. But, if you do not do it sincerely, it fails to become exceptional.

It is only heartfelt sincerity that propels a business to go beyond the call of duty in order to take care of its valued customers.

The Makati Shangrila: How To Lose A Potential Customer

2009-08-13T09:38:00.003+08:00

The Makati Shangrila:
How To Lose A Potential Customer

Before I left on business, I got a phone call from Angel of Makati Shangrila that left me slightly bewildered.

From what I gathered, she's the account executive tasked to close the booking for my Angel's debut. I don't know. The woman never bothered to introduce herself properly or explain what she's doing on my phone.

In light of that odd phone call, this is what you do not do when courting a potential customer:

Do not just call your potential customer's mobile phone without first sending an SMS identifying yourself and your business. Then, ask if it's ok to call her.

The first time this Angel called, I was having lunch. She said she will call back. She never did. I, on the other hand, plowed through lunch so I could freely talk to her when she calls back. Thank you for the sudden bout of indigestion.

Do not call a potential customer without knowing anything about that customer or her needs.

Upon picking up her call, she immediately asks me if I've made up my mind to book my event there. No pleasantries, no nothing.

But that's ok. I understand sales people and I can forgive their rush.

I cannot, however, understand why she doesn't know what the event is. "Ma'am, what's the event again?" Huh?! I've been explaining my concerns with you for 10 minutes already and you're clueless about the event?!

Not contented with that mistake, she comes up with another more brilliant one. "Ma'am, when is this event?" Are you seriously kidding me?!

And to make matters worst, "Ma'am, are you the event coordinator?"

This is the Makati Shangrila Hotel, for the love of God. You would think they have trained their account executives on the basics of handling customer inquiries.

I can understand this kind of incompetence from a 2-bit hotel but a 5-star international chain hotel? The Makati Shangrila is one of Manila's most prestigious hotels and that's how their account executives handle a potential sale?

When I first went to the hotel to make inquiries, the girl there took down all the necessary event details including my contact numbers. The idea behind it is to understand the customer's needs and provide it. Perhaps, even exceed it.

Memorizing my mobile number alone and calling me is not understanding my needs or providing for it. It certainly doesn't exceed it. Why'd I even go through the agony of blabbering for a whole hour if these people are not going to listen to my event requirements and concerns?

A potential customer is more than just a number. It's not just another warm body. There is more to closing a sale than just knowing the customer's contact details. Do your homework first before you pick up that phone.

Obviously, I am not booking the event at the Makati Shangrila. If this is how they handle my inquiry, I fear how they will handle the actual event.

I'll probably get there on the day of the event wondering what a white board is doing in the middle of a function room. I'm sure brilliant Angel of the Makati Shangrila will simply reply, "You mean, Ma'am, it's a debut, not a seminar?"

Such tragic customer service skills from a 5-star hotel that should know better.

Photo Credit: Groovenet.ph

Business Etiquette For Suppliers

2009-08-11T10:17:00.002+08:00

Business Etiquette For Suppliers

I have been a beleaguered and harassed marketing consultant for weeks now because of unprofessional and inept suppliers/agencies.

So, before I completely lose my sanity, let me share some business etiquette tips for all you suppliers and freelancers out there:

Communicate with your potential client.

When a client sends you an email or SMS - for the love of God, acknowledge the damn thing.

I didn't send you that creative brief and 10,000 other important emails because I have nothing better to do with my life but email you. If I wanted to send inane emails, I assure you that you are nowhere near my Top 100 people to annoy with spam mail.

It is the height of unprofessional-ism to ignore important client instructions ESPECIALLY when the client specifically instructed you to reply. In how many ways must a client ask you to "Please reply ASAP"?

If you receive an important SMS from a client and you are in the middle of something important, acknowledge it with a simple "ok." Or, just say "Mtg now. Txt u l8r."

But, don't - as in DON'T - let the person wonder if her SMS went on a detour to the Twilight Zone. Because, then, you leave that client with no choice but to pester you until she gets a reply. I am not an SMS person so I find it extremely annoying that I must SMS the same message repeatedly until I get a reply.

My GM at Gardenia taught me that. SPU always said, "acknowledge all business messages even if only to say ok."

Even if he was tough and exacting on me, SPU taught me many things in business. It is precisely because he was tough and exacting that I learned.

Although, of course, I didn't have that feeling before whenever I spent my lunch break crying in the toilet because he screamed at me. Today, however, I am grateful to him for teaching me these things that I now bring to my own career.

If a client calls you and you cannot pick up the call, SMS to say you cannot pick up her call at the moment. "Mtg now. Kol u l8r." Will it kill you to do that?

It is exasperating when I have to call suppliers and the ringing simply goes on until I'm deaf. When I cannot pick up a call, I send a busy tone that is quickly followed by a brief SMS explaining why I cannot pick up the said call. As soon as I'm free, I call the person.

Do not discuss important matters over SMS.

Pick up the phone and call your client. It is in bad form to discuss billings over SMS. If you have the temerity to charge me an arm and a leg for your services, I'm sure you can afford to pay for mobile calls.

If you refuse to spend for mobile phone calls, perhaps, you should be doing something else other than being a supplier.

It is even worse form when you SMS your client to please call you on your mobile. Or make a long distance call. You're charging me 5-6 digits and you still expect me to shoulder all communications cost? Did your mother drop you as a baby?!

Send that cost estimate NOW.

When a client asks you to submit a project cost estimate, do not dawdle if you are interested in the project. Even if you're not interested but you are in desperate need of income, all the more you shouldn't dawdle.

It is severely irritating when I have to keep running after suppliers to send me their formal quotations. The client's obligation is to reply to your CE, not follow up on its submission. Didn't your mother teach you that, too?

Before you take on a diva attitude, remember this: there are 10 million other suppliers around the world who can provide the same, if not, better service than you. The client will be able to find other suppliers if you persist in giving her a hard time with the CE submission. If you can't even send a CE on time, what does that say about your ability to finish the project?

Do not be a diva even if you are one.

You and I are not indispensable. We are not irreplaceable. There are other marketing consultants who are better than me and so with you. There are other suppliers who can provide better service at cheaper rates and at speeds that would make Flash Gordon dizzy.

If you are a multi-awarded photographer, creative director or whatever - trust me, there are those with more prestigious awards and, yet, are far humbler than you. Humility is not a sign of weakness. It is a position of strength.

It would do you well to remember that before you use your awards to excuse your boorish behavior. There is just no room for bad manners in a supplier. After all, you are not the only gifted child God created.

At the end of the day, a client is a client is a client. It is they who provide us with healthy bank accounts.

Do not forget your place in the circle of life.

The Philippines Facebooks And Tweets

2009-08-10T08:54:00.003+08:00

The Philippines Facebooks And Tweets

I'm having very deep issues with my Facebook.

I remember when I first joined Facebook, I couldn't. The Philippines was not on the list. When it finally opened to the world and his wife, there was only a handful of Filipinos on it.

My Facebook then only had 10 friends, all were foreigners. It gave me a severe insecurity crisis. The fact that I only had 10 friends, that is.

I remember how I hounded my cyber network to please, pretty puh-leeze, open a Facebook account so I wouldn't look like Hannibal Lecter's long lost daughter. My 10 friends remained at 10 for almost 2 years. I was almost ready to go into therapy.

At that time, the entire Philippine population was hooked on Friendster. What can I say? The notorious Filipino time transcends even onto cyber space. Didn't you know? We're always 300 years behind trends.

I had always planned my Facebook to be for my global friends, clients and business associates only. It was my way of showing them my personal side. It was me telling them, no, The Marketing Girl is not an android. Look! I have pictures!

I had planned as well that I would only open my Facebook to Filipinos if they were clients or business associates. At that time, I could only count my Filipino clients on one hand and none had Facebook. They didn't even know what it was.

And so it was that my Facebook remained only for the global community I moved in.

One day, I woke up and my neighbors had discovered it. My high school friends were on it. Even my local barangay tanod has Facebook now.

Facebook reunited me with old friends and that made for a pleasantly nostalgic experience.

But that's not my main issue.

Today, Facebook is annoying in that it had become...pedestrian. My dog would be on it if he knew how to use a computer.

I find myself having a major crisis each time a high school friend or Filipino business associates connect to me. It's a major operation. I have to adjust privacy settings everywhere.

Why? Because there are things on my Facebook they will never understand. I don't have the patience to explain my life now to them.

On my Facebook are groups of people from my global network who, in many ways, know each other. So we all kinda share the same jokes and anecdotes.

To my Filipino friends and associates, these little things are bewildering. They cannot relate it to the woman they know or the girl they once grew up with.

Even something as simple as me insisting on writing in English most of the time is beyond them.

Well, of course, I have to write in English all the time. My Facebook (as well as this blog) is primarily for my global friends and the global community I move in. A fact I was clearly reminded of when my friend, Darren Sharman (Ahoy, Darren!), could no longer follow a conversation that had started in English and ended up in Tagalog gay-speak.

It is the same with Twitter. I used to be a Twitter addict. Yes, yes, followers and Twitter friends. I am returning. A little more patience, please. You know how slow I can be.

Twitter before was a No Man's Land for a lot of Filipinos. I'd check the Top Filipino Twitters on Grader and there was just a handful.

Today, even radio stations are on Twitter. When Cory Aquino died, everyone including the turtles tweeted about it.

I think it's great that Filipinos are discovering social media. I think it's lovely they're on Twitter.

Unfortunately, I have this sad gut feeling that Twitter will soon become another pedestrian online site in the way Friendster had become, no thanks to us.

I don't know what it is but every time we Filipinos discover something on cyber space, it suddenly becomes baduy. Fine, I'm being an unpatriotic brat, shoot me. But, it's true, you know. Look what we did to Friendster. And we're doing it again now on Facebook and Twitter.

Mga kapatid, now that we've discovered social media, could we all please learn how to use it well?

The Manila Hotel: The Demise Of A Historic Brand

2009-08-10T08:30:00.007+08:00

The Manila Hotel: The Demise of a Historic Brand

It will be Angel's debut this coming February. Naturally, it wouldn't be me if I didn't plan a century ahead.

I was in the Manila area yesterday so I decided to ask at the Manila Hotel. After all, the Manila Hotel is the Manila Hotel.

No, it wasn't.

The Manila Hotel's historic past has made it into a brand associated with old world charm, grace and elegance. And, yes, politics. Still, there was always something grandiose about it. But the grandiosity was not of the Too Dubai kind.

Rather, it was discreet despite being extremely elitist. And, yes, there was just something snobbish about it. That was the brand's attraction, really. The snobbish and elitist air. As if the hotel is too hallowed for lesser mortals.

The brand was bigger than the actual structure. The name alludes to sugar barons, conquistadores, cotillions and the DBF (De Buena Familia). Going there is like visiting your grandmother at the ancestral home.

When I think of the Manila Hotel, I think of Jose Rizal having coffee there with Graciano Lopez Jaena. It is not difficult to imagine MacArthur striding purposefully through the grand lobby as he proceeds to his suite.

That was not the Manila Hotel that greeted me yesterday.

First of all, what is that hideous X-ray machine doing in the lobby? This is not the airport, you know. I understand security issues but, really, an X-ray machine from the Land of the Giants in the lobby of a supposed 5-star hotel? What is wrong with you, people?!

Off I went to the Banquet Sales office.

Understand that this is the Manila Hotel. Of course, I have certain expectations as to how my inquiry will be treated. I'm thinking linen stationery and expensive custom-made folders.

Why am I holding photocopied bond paper? It's not even Corona Bond Paper, for God's sakes.

I was quite prepared to see pricing that would require me to pawn one of my aortas. After all, this was the Manila Hotel.

P895 per head?! P895?! Philippine pesos? ONLY?!

True, if you add 23% in government taxes and service charge, the pricing is up to par with other 5-star hotels. Still, didn't anybody tell them it is not a good idea to make 5-star hotel menus appear cheap? It's a 5-star hotel. Your target market expects you to be expensive.

I'm sorry but I tend to fear a 5-star hotel that would charge me only P895 for an entire set menu. It makes me wonder if I'll really be getting arugula on my salad or...pechay.

The Manila Hotel I knew had interiors whose air reminded you of the Philippines' Spanish colonial past. The Manila Hotel I saw yesterday was...I don't know what it was.

For a moment, I thought I had accidentally wandered into Chinatown. I was half-expecting to see a golden cat with a waving hand perched on the reception desk.

Not that there is anything wrong with Chinatown. But this is the Manila Hotel. Yes, I keep repeating that because my addled brain still cannot grasp what I saw yesterday.

The brand is supposed to embody Spanish colonialism. I'm no interior designer but even I don't think Chinese dragons and lanterns jive with Spanish colonialism or Filipiniana.

The staff had unpolished shoes. I'm sorry but I'm a marketing consultant. I notice these things. Occupational hazard. The sales person handling my inquiry had frumpy shoes. Her hair was all over the place and, really, she needs lipstick.

At the Makati Shangrila and Manila Peninsula, the ladies handling my inquiry had beautiful shoes and their eyebrows were impeccably groomed. You just know these hotels were going to yank your innards out with the estimated event cost. No, they were not Parisian shoes. They were Nine West albeit on sale.

Did I tell you some of the Manila Hotel's window panes were broken? Their garden needs a gardener. The trees need pruning. And they should really re-train their staff on customer service.

As I left the hotel, I saw the 4 white stretch hotel limos parked at the entrance. How sad that the Manila Hotel should deteriorate to this terrible state.

The Manila Hotel is a very sad example of how a great brand can die a very ugly death.

Manila Bulletin, what did you do to this grand dame?!

Photo Credit: Tribo.org

I Must Return

2009-08-02T09:13:00.003+08:00

I Must Return

I was reading my blog's archives and couldn't help but feel sad.

There was a time I enjoyed and looked forward to writing on my marketing blog. This was my sanctuary from the maddening world of marketing. Here, I could breathe life into my forbidden marketing thoughts.

Back then, I wrote for me, not an audience. Everything I wanted to say but couldn't and shouldn't in polite marketing society, I said it all here.

But then, ego issues took over.

Slowly, I felt insecure that no one else was reading my marketing blog but my pathetic little self. I saw other marketing blogs that write about marketing crap and, yet, have legions of followers. My self-esteem slowly dove and, FYI, the diving of one's self-esteem is never a pretty moment.

And so it was that I found myself writing for an audience.

I found myself censoring my thoughts and reviewing my own postings as I would a communication material. By God, I'm a brilliant marketing strategist and doncha forget it! So says me in my marketing blog.

Looking at it now, I see my desperation at driving this point across when, really, it isn't my marketing blog that screams my competence as a marketing strategist. It's my work. How could I have stupidly forgotten that in the face of my own gargantuan ego?

Instead of just writing down anything that came to my mind, I started thinking about topics that my target audience might want to read about. Topics that would get hits from Google.

Never mind if I'm not interested in writing about that particular topic.

Suddenly, being on Google seemed to be uppermost in my mind. I forgot why I had created this blog. Somehow, it became all about the rankings, searches and readers.

That's when the exhaustion started creeping in. Writing on my marketing blog was no longer fun. It had become work.

With the exhaustion came laziness, annoyance and resentment. Just thinking of writing a posting for my blog became annoying for me. I started resenting my readers. I know, I know. I'm sorry, people. But, really, it came to that.

It finally took its toll on the way I wrote.

My postings were no longer fun. At least, not as fun as my old postings were. Back then, my postings were hysterically funny despite the sarcasm. At least, they sounded funny to me.

I could spot where I wrote because...well...I was expected to write. I had an obligation to my readers whose attention I desperately courted before. I was writing out of obligation, not out of passion.

I missed those days when I wrote just for the heck of it.

How could I have been so stupidly foolish as to allow myself to forget why I was blogging to begin with? Was I that insecure that I just had to feed my ego every which way I could? Or was I just being my usual annoying overly competitive self?

I dunno. It's only 8am and I haven't had breakfast yet. Not a good time for introspection. This, however, is what I know:

I intend to reclaim this blog from my unhealthy self. Enough with my ego issues. Enough with writing for my readers alone.

Not that I'm ungrateful to all of you. But, if you think about it - why were you on this blog in the first place? Because it was fun reading my postings. Can you honestly tell me that my postings this past year have been fun? Liar. They're all damn boring. It's a miracle my postings have not made you comatose yet.

Don't you feel cheated that my marketing blog suddenly stopped being a fun blog? That it became one of those predictable marketing blogs whose only purpose in life was to gain more business for the blog owner?

My point exactly. You feel cheated and so do I. We're both not getting what we want and used to enjoy from this marketing blog.

Ergo - something must be done.

I have decided to go back to that day when I first created this blog. I shall strive to write again as I did before. I shall pretend my readers do not exist and I am merely writing for my own selfish pleasure.

That's how this blog began and why we had so much fun together before.

It is just time to go back to this blog's authentic self. It's time to have fun again. Way too many psycho marketing strategists out there, I should stop adding to the world's anguish.

Godspeed, Tita Cory

2009-08-02T07:51:00.003+08:00

Godspeed, Tita Cory!

The nation mourns the passing of former Philippine president, Corazon C. Aquino. She succumbed to her battle with colon cancer yesterday.

Eternal rest grant unto her soul, O Lord.
And let perpetual light shine upon her.
May her soul rest in peace.
Amen.

Huh?!

2009-08-01T11:34:00.003+08:00

Huh?!

Why, for the love of God, was actress Lani Mercado elected to San Miguel Corporation's Board of Directors?

San Miguel, for the unenlightened, just happens to be the Philippines' largest food and beverage conglomerate. On its corporate roster are several of the country's strongest brands, one of which, of course, is the world famous San Miguel Beer.

I have nothing against actresses and actors sitting on a corporation's Board of Directors. For as long as one is qualified and possesses impeccable business credentials, why not, coconut?

But - LANI MERCADO?! ARE YOU SERIOUSLY KIDDING ME?!

She is replacing former Cabinet secretary Silvestre Bello III. Let's see. Who is Silvestre Bello III?

Aside from his unforgettable name, I know next to nothing about the man. But the phrase "Cabinet secretary" implies he possesses enough brain power, yes?

Hmmm...aside from all the government positions, it seems Silvestre Bello III is a lawyer by profession. He also sat on the board of Philippine Airlines for almost 5 years.

And Lani Mercado?

Well, I know she's the wife of Bong Revilla, a senator whose list of senatorial achievements escapes me at this moment. Are there?

Aside from the fact that she's got 6 kids with Bong, a string of forgettable movies and her penchant for getting involved in tacky scandals no thanks to her womanizing husband - I cannot really figure out what qualifies her to be on San Miguel's board. She never even went to college because didn't she elope with Bong when she was only 16?

And she's replacing Silvestre Bello III, a lawyer whose past and present professional experience includes being CEO of the GRP Panel for talks with the CPP-NPA-NDF and being CEO of the PNOC? I'd feel very insulted if I was Bello III. You could've replaced me with someone who at least graduated from college, for goodness' sakes.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Not everyone who has blinding academic credentials can do a decent job of being a board director.

Still. Good Grief! They could've chosen someone who had more qualifications to help run a corporation than just cross-stitching or giving birth annually. What's she gonna do there? Teach the board what's a better sauce to use for kare-kare? Then again, considering the 6 children, she can conduct a free Lamaze class in between meeting breaks.

What kind of drugs are the San Miguel people on?! Whatever it is, I seriously think you people should just stick to drinking beer.

Mercado's appointment comes straight from Malacañang. Only a moron will not figure out that her election to San Miguel's Board has something to do with the coming 2010 presidential elections. San Miguel, after all, has always been riddled with political controversy since the government controls 27% of its shares.

LANI MERCADO?! *gasp for the 1 millionth time.* If I continue gasping some more, I'll hyperventilate. Or choke.

If someone like her can sit on San Miguel's board, this country's economy is certainly going to go to the dogs. The woman cannot even control her husband, what more a corporation with a difficult Board like San Miguel's?

Maybe, my nanny can also sit on the Board of San Miguel. After all, she's my house manager and she manages my household efficiently and effectively.

She knows something about Finance because she handles the household budget. "Sun, ang mahal ng isda! Galunggong na lang binili ko!" (Sun, fish is very expensive! I only bought Galunggong!) Galunggong, by the way, has the reputation of being the poor man's fish.

She's very good with the environment and housing issues. "Bumili ka ng muriatic!!! Madumi ang garahe!!!" (Buy muriatic acid. The garage is dirty.)

She's an expert on energy. "Tama na ang aircon! Mahal ang kuryente!" (Stop using the aircon. Electricity is expensive.) And thus I find myself wilting at the height of summer.

Defense and security is a walk in the park for her. Go ask my security guard and he will wholeheartedly agree. "Jacob!!! Wag kang matulog ha!!!" (Jacob, don't sleep!!!) My nanny can scare the bejesus out of them terrorists by simply bulging her eyes at them.

Really, Ate Helen should sit on San Miguel's Board of Directors.

You know, Bong Revilla should have thought deeply first about his wife's appointment to San Miguel's Board. With her there, his days of beer drinking will clearly be over.

Men are so terribly shortsighted and limited.

Sampling Stories

2009-07-20T00:06:00.005+08:00

Sampling Stories

A few weeks ago, I was grocery shopping. On the aisle where the hair care products are, I encounter the Cream Silk promo girl.

She is the stuff of Product Managers' nightmares.

She's simply standing there hugging a bunch of sachets close to her chest. She stares endlessly at the shelves before her as shoppers wheel their carts past her. Maybe she's practicing telekinesis? I dunno but I certainly hope those products move with all the staring she's been doing.

She decides to approach one shopper and gives out 2 sachets. She then stuffs an entire blanket of sachets onto the shoppers' arm with a vague explanation that everything was free.

I approached her and ask what those sachets were for. I promptly get 2 sachets with an equally vague explanation that they are free samples.

I asked her about the blanket of sachets and she thrusts them into my arms as well. I asked again if she was sure the entire loot was free and she says yes.

"Sampling lang ho 'yan." (They’re free samples.)
"All of them?!" She nods enthusiastically.

Naturally, I grabbed everything unable to believe my good fortune. I would've poured the whole shelf into my cart except people would stare. Do you know how much a bottle of Cream Silk costs?! I could only envy Cream Silk's enormous sampling budget.

When I reached the counter, the cashier informs me that my blankets of sachet weren't free. Sigh. It was too good to be true.

Someone at Cream Silk's marketing department forgot to orient their promo agency and promo girls thoroughly.

As opposed to Nescafe's sampling booths. They've got the most energetic promodizers, it makes you fear caffeine.

"Ma'am, try niyo po ang Nescafe. Masarap po siya." (Ma'am, try Nescafe. It's delicious.)

And before you know it, you've got a cup of brewing coffee right inside your nostrils. Sinus, meet Nescafe.

Have I told you about the Magnolia Chicken person? He has such a funny way of selling chicken that I could just stand there for hours watching him. The boy will become the next big star, I can feel it.

To reward him for his entertaining repertoire, I bought 2 whole chickens and many bags of various chicken parts. I do not know what to do with all that chicken seeing as I don't know how to cook. But if only for his great promotional skills, the boy deserved it.

Sampling is a very good way to induce trial and re-trial.

Often, however, a sampling campaign's success depends on its promodizers. Finding these promodizers is like auditioning for American Idol. Some have it, some don't. Consider yourself lucky if you've got 4 talented promodizers out of 20. The rest are just there to waste your budget.

Word to the wise: It pays to conduct frequent trade checks when you've got an ongoing sampling campaign.

Cost And Worth

2009-07-19T23:55:00.004+08:00

Cost And Worth

My most recent favorite movie line is, "Cost and worth are 2 different things." Delivered in a very sexy, very crisp British accent. Sigh. Drool. Sigh. From the movie, Confessions of a Shopaholic. Yes, I watch shallow movies, shoot me.

Lately, I've taken to remembering that line quite frequently.

This is what recession has done to consumers and clients. They are more demanding now when it comes to value for their money.

I should know.

I've been scrimping on getting waxes for sometime now. Oh, shut up. It's disgusting and gross, I know. But we're in the midst of a recession, people! Between underarm waxes and 2 whole chickens, which do you think will I go for? Exactly.

There's always the razor or tweezers, you know.

I'd rather shave and risk having underarm chicken skin than run after a real live chicken. I can do the former in my bathroom while the latter is just very Old Macdonald.

Clients these days want many things but balk at the cost of such things. I've taken to doodling whenever they ramble on and on about their wish list.

"Let's have a tri-media campaign." (Okay. Doodle again.)
"I want a website that does this, this and this." (Sure. Doodle again.)
"We should have TVCs on prime time." (Are you on drugs?! Doodle again.)
"I want full page, full color ads every weekends on all the major broadsheets." (You ARE on drugs. Doodle again.)

A recession should not halt your marketing. In fact, you should get going with it albeit more creatively. And by that, I mean that your Financial Comptroller doesn't scream many decibels higher than usual.

You can cut corners in some areas of your marketing by substituting it with non-traditional yet effective strategies and tactics.

Unfortunately, there are just certain things that cost in life.

We may perceive some things to be very costly but that doesn't mean they're not worth the cost. What could be costly may carry a value that transcends mere pesos and cents. True, not everything expensive is effective and efficient. By the same argument, however, not all that is affordable is effective or efficient either.

For instance, I know of a budding entrepreneur who doesn't want to hire a marketing strategist. (No, clients, it's none of you. Relax. How can it be you? You already have a marketing strategist. Me. Duh.)

Budding Entrepreneur insists on doing all his marketing by his lonely self. No problem except his retail outlets are now spread all over Metro Manila and its nearby areas.

If we're talking about 3-5 outlets, fine. DIY and knock yourself out while you're at it. But 16?! You want to do marketing for all 16 outlets by yourself?! How many cups of coffee do you drink in the morning? I seriously think you should cut it by half and drink decaf, for the Lord's sakes!

Marketing isn't the only thing a corporation or business needs in order to survive, thrive and succeed. There are other aspects of business that requires the attention and care of the owner, president, COO or CEO.

Man cannot live by marketing alone, you know. Yes, it pains me to say that but it's true.

While doing solo marketing for 3-5 outlets is manageable, doing the same for 16 outlets is just...stupid. You may think you saved a lot by scrimping on marketing talent. In reality, that decision probably cost you more.

Because, with 16 outlets, you're now running yourself ragged getting from Point A to Point B in what shall soon turn out to be a haphazard store and trade check. Have you seen the SLEX traffic lately? I do not recommend it for those with ulcers.

There's also the bazillion other things you must do before a marketing campaign flies. And what about Operations? Purchasing? Finance? Logistics?

Should we just leave all those to God, then? Last I heard, God was preoccupied with the Indonesian hotel bombings. And Michael Jackson who insists on teaching St. Peter how to moonwalk.

The next time you use that infamous recession phrase, cost cutting, it will do you well to ponder deeply on the worth you think you are gaining by doing so.

What To Write On A Marketing Resume

2009-06-13T14:07:00.003+08:00

What To Write On A Marketing Resume

We're in a recession. Many people have been fired. I'm sure the resume mill is a very busy bumblebee at this moment.

I don't know what HR people look for in a resume. Or, how they determine which resume makes the grade. I just know what I want to see on the resume of a marketing professional.

Here, then, are my tips from the weary eyes of The Marketing Girl:

Tip No. 1: Use a professional looking photo.

Tyra Banks once said that, if you're model material, your passport photo should look fierce. Sadly, we are not all Tyra Banks no matter how our mothers insist we are. Ergo, do not rush to the nearest Kodak World and have one of those instant 3-minute photos. I know you need a photo but does it have to be a mug shot?

I also know that photos alone do not snag a job. But, I shy away from photos that remind me of a death squad. You never know. Better safe than sorry.

An applicant once sent me a resume with a photo of the Banaue Rice Terraces beside her picture. To this day, I am still baffled by it. While she remained memorable, I didn't hire her. I might find myself holding office in Batad. Horrors.

Tip No. 2: List your core competencies on the first page.

Unless you've managed to bail General Motors out of bankruptcy singlehandedly, I would prefer not to wade through years of "Responsibilities and Tasks." I already know the responsibilities and tasks of a senior marketing executive. I am one. Therefore, do not remind me again of my life in 3 pages, Times New Roman, size 12.

I like seeing a summary of core skills immediately so I don't have to go blind from reading 3 pages of repetitious drivel. It's like searching for the Ark and no one ever found it except Harrison Ford. Do I look like Harrison Ford? Exactly.

How many times do I have to read "Conceptualized and created marketing campaign" before I go brain dead? Of course, you conceptualized and created a marketing campaign. You are, after all, applying for a senior marketing position. Duh.

Tip No. 3: Spare me the motherhood statements.

I am a team player, hardworking, creative, flexible...blah blah blah. Frankly, dear, the only thing I'm interested to read is this: "Willing to work long hours." Other than, do not give me the traits of your astrological sign.

Tip No. 4: Skip the personal details.

I don't care if you're a midget or as huge as a barn. I do not care if you are single and co-habiting with a cat. Neither does it matter to me which church you worship in. Or if you even have a religion. Remove all the useless personal details before any of my clients' companies get sued for discrimination.

What I only care about is that you can do the job. Period. That, and the fact that you can at least reach the computer table and fit in your chair. We do not have a budget for extra large chairs, sorry.

Oh, It would be helpful if you can mention you are married to a living nightmare. Forewarned is forearmed. I always appreciate advance warnings. It leaves me with time to shop for a Kevlar.

Tip No. 5: Keep it within 2 pages.

I'm sure even Jack Welch can keep his resume down to 2 pages. After all, what else is there to say after "President, GE"?

Contrary to popular belief, a resume of encyclopedic proportions is not a happy thought. So I don't really understand why fresh graduates insist on kilometric resumes. You just got out of school. I don't expect you to have invented a nuclear bomb while studying Philippine history.

Tip No. 6: List hobbies, special skills and other personal interests.

I like knowing you have a life. I get scared with resumes that are all work and no play. It screams "Psycho!" This is the kind of person who would probably torture me if I made the mistake of giving him a low performance appraisal.

Tip No. 7: Proofread your resume.

You're in marketing, for the Lord's sakes. You cannot write with less than flawless English. Speak, yes. Write, no. I refuse to waste my entire day correcting grammatical errors on a memo that simply announces a new promo. And seriously, as a senior executive, don't you think you should at least know how to write well in English?!

That, boys and girls, are my tips - a result of wading through mountains of resumes for many, many years.

With these tips on what I want to see on a resume, I hope the HR people will now stop hexing me.

P.S. If you are an expert in Adobe Photoshop, it pays to highlight that part. We're in recession. Marketing people prefer to avoid ad agencies for the time being. That's why we hire hapless assistants.

Marketing Life During Recession

2009-06-13T13:50:00.007+08:00

Marketing Life During Recession

A few days ago, my food stylist friend and I were talking about the impact of the economic crisis on the marketing and advertising world.

No wonder I had indigestion. Why would anyone with a sane mind discuss this on a famished stomach? And I thought I just had too much gnocchi.

He says that the bulk of his business now comes directly from clients, not the ad agencies. I'm not surprised. Most of my clients now wouldn't want to touch that 17.65% ASF when belts are being tightened. The world of freelancing has never looked more enticing to marketing budgets that are constantly being slashed.

Yesterday, I had millions to spend for a year's worth of marketing. Today, I'd be lucky if one flies off with the original budget I had set for it. I've come to fear the word, "Hold!" As in hold your breath while we figure out if we should still run with that campaign. I'm still holding my breath and I suspect I'll expire soon as exhalation is nowhere in sight. Yet.

Where I had agencies at my disposal to execute even the dumbest marketing collateral, I now find myself scrounging around for small media companies who would pity my minuscule budget to produce an AVP. At the rate I'm going, I'll have to resort to YouTube as my primary media channel. I'm even learning now how to enhance my Windows Movie Maker skills. I kid you not.

Still, I've got freelancing friends who are going through very rough times. Competing for projects have gone to shark feeding frenzy levels, I'm grateful I have not been forced to join the fray yet.

I'm beginning to dread the coming quarter when marketing budgets will be negotiated upon and approved. I find "approved" a quaint word. In principle, your budget is approved. In reality, it is a dream from which I shall wake up immediately. And not in a good way.

I'm equally fearful of the slew of business reviews that will soon begin. Pray tell, how do I explain the pathetic sales performance? Costs are up, less customers, the global economy, world peace...yada yada yada. I need some creativity here, people. Creativity to explain why that graph is going down and fast. Let's hope it's just the sorry state of my Excel skills that made the graph dive. At least, I can always say I'm a moron when it comes to identifying rows and columns.

This really should be the finest hour for the corporate landscape. Which probably explains all the motherhood statements that senior executives like me spew at quarterly business reviews. Except...who am I kidding?

I see all those figures and, frankly, the panic I feel overwhelms me. It takes a will of Atlas proportions not to resort to panic-driven strategies. Very hard to accomplish when you've got CEOs and COOs breathing down your neck. No wonder I've been going through my Paxil stash like a demented woman.

They say things are going to get better soon. When is soon? Like before I have my first grandchild? Or when Mars is determined habitable for humans?

For now, though, we just need to grit our teeth through this crisis. As if I'm not suffering from lockjaw now.

The Marketing Girl Returns

2009-06-13T13:22:00.001+08:00

The Marketing Girl Returns

...with a vengeance!

It was a long and difficult struggle to re-join the land of the living. But I did it! While I am not all 100% there yet, the point is that I have found the will to return. Life did not defeat me.

For now, I am returning one digital world at a time. Facebook first. Then, Xing. Now, my marketing blog. Tomorrow, the world.

I missed my friends. I missed my life. Upon my return, I bring with me the lessons I've learned in the months I struggled to go on living. I maybe scarred but I am not beaten.

Life is beautiful and too short to spend it in misery. As always, I choose to live no matter how challenging it can be at times.

Thank you all for the understanding and patience. Most of all, thank you for respecting my silence.

It is wonderful to be back.

I Will Be Back Soon

2009-04-02T23:09:00.000+08:00

I Will Be Back Soon

Sometimes, when life is good, you tend to be a bit cocky. Arrogance gets the better of you because life is just too dang wonderful.

Then, one day, life - being life - suddenly throws you a curve ball leaving you too dazed to figure out what's going on. By the time you do, your brains are so rattled you can't even think straight anymore. You could be intelligent today and, tomorrow, the world wakes up to find a vegetable.

It happens to the best of us.

I know my abrupt withdrawal and unexplained disappearance is making people wonder. As with all things in life, this is temporary. I'm just in a zone right now where life dictates I must be with myself.

I ask for your understanding as I struggle out of this zone. I will re-join the land of the living soon. I look forward to living again.

My Journey To A Forbes Article

2009-03-13T01:35:00.003+08:00

My Journey To A Forbes Article

Wow. I'm on the same paragraph as Anna Wintour. Okay, maybe not the same paragraph. A few paragraphs lower but still on the same article as her.

Once upon a time, The Marketing Girl was spending too much time on Twitter feeding her current Twitter addiction. Marian Salzman, one of the 54 people I follow on Twitter, posted a tweet about luxury branding. I replied because...well...I always reply to interesting tweets.

Since my tongue does not understand the concept of brevity where life is strictly limited to 140 characters, I continued my answer to her question on this blog.

Marian emailed me for further clarifications. I was giddily shocked to discover the question was actually for an article she was writing. I replied again. Then, I asked her where the article was going to be published.

"Forbes.com." GASP! SERIOUSLY?!

A few weeks later, voila! Lil' ol' me's quote was sharing the same article as Anna Wintour's quote from the New York Fashion Week. Who woulda thunk?! Okay, fine! Other people probably have a bazillion articles with their names and quotes there, so what?

It was not just because I got quoted on a Forbes.com (F-O-R-B-E-S, baby, F-O-R-B-E-S) but it was more of the journey that led to that article. Who was it who said it's not the destination but the journey that mattered?

The moral of the story? Don't underestimate the power of replying. You might end up with a very Forest Gump moment.

Here's the article - Luxury: Corrected, Connected by Marian Salzman. My thanks to Marian for quoting me. You can follow her on Twitter.

I Need A Vacation!

2009-03-13T00:53:00.004+08:00

I Need A Vacation!

My friend and "boss", George Karahalios, invited me to a luxury sailing trip this August.

I want to go!!! Waaah!!!

The boat is a Nautitech 475 Catamaran with "all high-tech security gear and leisure equipment." Who wouldn't want to sail on that boat?! Gasp!

Best of all, only 10 people on board. According to George, "this trip is designed with full luxury in the heart of the Cyclades Islands, Greece."

It's a one week sailing trip with full crew (Why can't I be the hostess, George?!) inclusive of half-board meals (Are we dieting for the rest of the day?! *lol*), full bar and snacks (POTATO CHIPS!). Activities will include fishing (not my thing), barbecue nights (this is my thing), night clubbing (hmmm....) and diving (very much my thing).

I wonder how many Bonamine tablets I should bring if I go.

Experts And Their Expertise

2009-03-08T11:56:00.003+08:00

Experts And Their Expertise

In today's digital world, anybody and everybody is now an expert so much so that being an expert no longer means anything - officially or legally.

Not when your neighbor can suddenly proclaim himself to be an expert on web design after a year of self-study. Or your gardener who, without ever opening a book on horticulture, touts himself as a gardening expert simply because your previously dying gardenias now bloom healthily and delightfully.

The Internet is abundant with experts.

Someone out there opened a lemonade stand, made a continuous healthy profit, shared his strategy to anyone who cared to listen and voila! He is now a renowned business expert, the likes of which can only make Jack Welch drool in envy. A stay-at-home mom decides to open a Mommy blog where she shares her homemade recipes (accompanied by the requisite pretty pictures, of course) and, in the blink of an eye, she is now a culinary expert. Move over, Iron Chefs.

And how about that quaint breed known as marketing experts?

On the Web, you can choose from millions of profiles that scream, "Marketing Expert." Who cares if they don't really possess a solid marketing experience? They're all over the Internet, aren't they? They have a blog, right? They twitter like crazy and have you seen how many follow them?

They are perfectly capable of writing coherent paragraphs that, when put together, drips with marketing expertise. So capable and so coherent that online business publications publish their 3-paragraphs of marketing wisdom that, naturally, gets re-tweeted 20 million times a day. O-F C-O-U-R-S-E, they're experts. Their cult following declared them so.

People, let's be honest.

If you actually looked beyond the article title, read and digested the words, you will come to the unsettling discovery that what the expert wrote is something you've always known.

But you can't see that because you're too busy re-tweeting or re-posting a business article. After all, didn't the social media experts say that re-tweeting generously and linking wisely is an effective way of gaining followers to your website or blog? That, if you've got millions of followers, it's only a matter of time before a book deal and speaking gigs land on your lap?

Of course, you re-tweet like Tweety Bird on steroids. Never mind that what you're re-tweeting is actually a basic business concept that any business management student would've already learned on his first semester of college. Or any Google addict could've easily found if he wasn't stoned while googling.

An expert posted it, ergo, you must re-post or die trying.

On my Facebook page, I share many links that I often come across on Twitter. Honestly, most of those links are useless to me. It wasn't anything I didn't already know from almost 15 years of solid marketing experience.

But that Facebook page isn't for me. It's for the people who signed up on it so anything that I feel might be helpful to them, I share. Out of those almost 100 links, however, I can only count on one hand the number of articles and resources that are really of value to me.

Many guest posts on popular blogs do not make you an expert on anything.

With the right connections, it's easy to be invited as a guest blogger. A little vocabulary creativity and ingenuity at finding internet resources and - hello! You are now the next Philip Kotler. One day, you too might be speaking at a TED conference.

I don't like writing about How-To's in marketing. You don't need me to tell you How-To-Whatever-In-Marketing. Google and Wiki can do that for you just as efficiently and effectively. Writing endless How-To's in a wired world that is already flooded with How-To's will just make Al Gore hate me for adding to the clutter.

If you really want to be an expert in your field (and one whose sage wisdom will be respected), do more than just Twitter and blog. Be more than just your website.

Go to school and S-T-U-D-Y. Don't just sit there in front of the internet and let all these other experts play with your brains. For all you know, that popular management dude has never even set foot inside a business classroom. And you want to entrust your business education to him? Why?! Because he has 10 million followers, a popular blog and website along with requisite 100 internet articles?

Nothing beats a formal education. Nothing. Anybody who tells you otherwise has garbage for brains. It doesn't matter if you earned it at Harvard or a community college. Nor does it matter that you barely passed.

The point is that you went to school and earned an education.

I visit marketing blogs regularly. I follow marketing people on Twitter. But while I do learn from them because they enhanced my marketing expertise, they never formed the core of my marketing education. For that, I went to school. After which, I built a marketing career by managing leading brands and running the marketing departments that housed these brands.

Twittering and blogging do not make an expert. It just makes you popular.

You Have Come A Long Way, Baby

2009-03-07T22:56:00.005+08:00

You Have Come A Long Way, Baby

I read an interesting article today about smoking. No, I did not find it interesting because I smoke. I found it interesting because it chronicles the marketing of smoking. Plus, the article was well-written.

Actually, the line that captured my attention enough to merit a second blog post for the day (Yes, I have been a very lazy blogger of late) was this: "Less understood is the way that the cigarette came to reflect America's perception of itself: this was a triumph of marketing..."

I got stuck on the words, "triumph of marketing."

Reading the article reminded me again of the power that marketing can wield. Through marketing, perceptions can change. Mindsets can shift. Lifestyles can evolve.

Remember Virginia Slims? To me, that brand has one of the most memorable taglines.

Introduced in 1968, Virginia Slims used the tagline to market the brand to young professional women. Back then, the phrase captured what feminism and women's liberation was all about. Those 7 words depicted how women struggled for equality and eventually won, among other things, the right to vote.

Today, the timelessness of that slogan continues to appeal to women especially to those who have survived incredible odds and became women to reckon with. Classic and, yet, very sexy.

Oh yuck. I'm waxing poetry over a tagline, for heaven's sakes!

Anyway! My point is that a well-thought out (not to mention, well-budgeted - HELLO! These things cost!) strategic marketing campaign can alter history.

Need I remind you of Obama's presidential win which was another marketing coup? A marketing coup that, by the way, is changing the course of American history. Whether Obama can deliver on his brand promise or not remains the much-awaited sequel.

I would have loved to work on those campaigns. It must've been exciting to be the marketing head of Virginia Slims at that time. Or working on the Obama campaign. Or handling the Tylenol crisis. Or building the Nike brand.

Of course, if I was really working on any of those campaigns, "exciting" would not be the word I would use to describe the moment. I'd probably come up with 101 variations of the F word. Still, imagine the adrenaline rush. No drug in the world can give you that kind of high. But, then, what do I know? The only drug I have a very close relationship with is Motrin and we only keep each other company for a scheduled 5 days each month.

And that, boys and girls, is why I'm so addicted to marketing. To have that chance to be able to change perceptions and lifestyles is an opportunity that doesn't come very often. And when it does, only the anal-retentive few can appreciate and embrace it.

To quote Danielle Steele, "when true loves, there is but one." Such is my romance with marketing. From the girl who failed Algebra 5x, The Marketing Girl has certainly come a long way, baby.

Photo Credit: Gonofarther.blogspot.com

The Annoying Twitter Etiquette Manual

2009-03-07T14:22:00.003+08:00

The Annoying Twitter Etiquette Manual

Lately, everyone on Twitter seem to be busy tweeting and re-tweeting Twitter etiquette, Twitter do's and don'ts.

Twitter being the "it" social media tool of the moment, naturally, everyone has to have their own say regarding this topic. God forbid you cannot tweet about your own list of Twitter do's and don'ts because...well...how terribly un-expert of you.

Of course, it's good to have these guidelines. If you're a beginner on Twitter, it helps to have a road map especially when it comes to replying to messages.

But, do we have to be anal about it? It's only Twitter, people. Not the keys to the kingdom of God where getting it is dependent upon your ability to follow the Ten Commandments.

Why shouldn't you tweet about your breakfast, lunch, dinner or coffee? Since when was it a major faux pas to tell the world you have gas and, therefore, must eat a truckload of papaya?

Because clients might get disconcerted (or - gasp! - turned off) that I posted I'm constipated?

Is the world seriously telling me that my marketing expertise will now be harshly judged because I dared to say I'm constipated? Am I suddenly less of a marketing expert because I tweeted that the coffee I'm drinking is vile?

As opposed, of course, to Hugh Macleod whose posts are often accompanied by colorful 4-letter words. Or Scott Stratten whose alternative career is being Twitter's resident DJ.

They're social media experts. I'm a marketing expert. We're all experts so, pray tell, why should there be 2 sets of rules for different kinds of experts?

Oh, I forgot. I'm not as popular.

So if I'll be popular in the Guy Kawasaki way, I will now be allowed to tweet anything I want and the world will stop harassing me about my tweets? If that's the case, then, Twitter is nothing but a giant beauty pageant where yours truly will never win the Ms. Twitter Universe title because I'm too tactless for my own good. Note to self: Always include "world peace" on any tweet.

You know, I distinctly remember graduating from High School.

It's 140 characters, people! You can't exactly conduct a marketing lesson on 140 characters alone. Brevity is good but 140 characters is just ridiculous for a serious marketing lesson. I doubt if Philip Kotler can even do it and the man already walks on marketing water, for goodness' sakes.

Scott Allen (whose alternative career, by the way, is being Twitter's resident sous chef) was having this major debate about auto DMs. Apparently, the rule is that you shouldn't auto DM because it's annoying, it's robotic yada yada yada.

But, like with any concept, there are always 2 schools of thought - those who don't believe in using auto DMs and those who do.

It's like MLM. We can all die here expounding on how annoying and useless MLMs are and, yet, somewhere else on the planet, MLM followers will defend to the death the MLM concept.

My point is that we should respect other people's opinions about certain things. If we don't agree with it, then, let us just all agree to disagree. After which, we should all get a manicure. Or a massage.

At the end of the day, it's somebody else's Twitter, not yours. Suggest and recommend but please, for the love of Zeus, do not pound it on his head till he begs for mercy.

And what is this unhealthy fixation with the number of followers? What will you do with thousands of followers that you don't interact with, anyway? Why are you even following thousands of people if you cannot be bothered to read what they tweet about? Some people have no fear of astigmatism.

Why do you encourage people to follow you if you will not respond to them? By the same token, why do you follow people whose tweets you don’t intend to read much less reply to?

Yes, I actually reply to people who send me messages. I also thank those who re-tweet my tweets. It's called good manners, hello. They took the time to send me a message, the least I can do is honor that time by responding. Who cares if it only took 5 seconds to tweet me a message? That's still 5 seconds of their time that they wasted on me because they believed I deserved their 5 seconds. Instead of being annoyed, I should be grateful for the honor and privilege.

Twitter is a fun tool to interact and connect with people. Have we all forgotten that?

Of Life, Family And Business

2009-02-19T12:29:00.003+08:00

Of Life, Family And Business

As I am still email-less, I thought I would do some reflecting on life, family and business. No, this is not one of those Dear Abby letters.

It used to be that my goal in life was to be loved by all. To do no wrong in the eyes of others and find favor in them. I know. How silly can one be, right?

Humans are strange in their need for acceptance and love. You kill yourself trying to do what is pleasing to others even if it means excruciating pain for you. You do it for family. Often, you find yourself doing the same in business.

Until it all gets tiresome.

For you come to the unsettling realization that, no matter what you do, someone somewhere out there will still not like, accept, want or love you. That the effort you spent in trying to achieve all that was all for naught. You failed to achieve your objective and, worst, you only made yourself miserable by doing so.

Last September, my mom had an accident that scared me. She fell off the stairs, broke her back and had to undergo a spine operation. For a horrifying moment, I thought she would be paralyzed. Or even dead.

At that point, I realized I wasn't ready to lose my mom yet. Someday, maybe, just not now. As my mom and I both coped with her operation and recovery, I came to several conclusions and resolutions:

One: While the need to seek and gain approval for what you do (and I do not mean seeking it in the "For your approval" kind of way) is an inherent human condition, you really shouldn't kill yourself trying. Especially when you're nearing past child-bearing age.

It would be good if friends and family approve of everything I do but, if they don't, I should stop killing myself over it because it's just so juvenile. Exhausting as hell as well. For as long as I haven't committed a crime, I should just move along. I'm sorry you don't approve but your approval is no longer important to my existence.

Two: Just as I have learned to choose which battles to fight in business, I should now learn to choose which battles to fight in my personal life especially when it comes to family.

Caring for one's family doesn't automatically mean I have to engage in every single fray my family has. I have now learned to say my piece and, then, exit. As with business, some things in life are just not worth it even if they are family.

It used to be that I would move heaven and earth for my family. Even to the point of denying myself some peace after an exhausting day at work. What can I say? Filipino culture can truly suck at times.

But I realized that, often, it is your family that can bring you to the brink of disaster despite their good intentions. That, sometimes, it is even they who can make you feel less bringing you utter despair and unhappiness. The concept of family (especially in Filipino culture) is so overpowering that, sometimes, we choose to be blind and unhappy in our determination to keep that concept.

I learned a long time ago that the company is not everything. I am learning the same thing now about family. If it isn't right, it isn't right. Just because it's your business or family doing it doesn't make it any less wrong.

Three: Your family will not always stand by you. Neither will your boss or your assistant. It's called survival. You can mouth all the motherhood statements you like but the reality is that it's every man for himself.

A client once told me that he had to endure his entire family's wrath for almost 6 months because of business decisions he made on behalf of their family corporation. How many clients have I with the same story?

It's good and wise to consult family and friends. But, at the end of the day, it's all about responsibility and maturity. The ability to take ownership for one's decisions and actions after careful consideration of the situation is not for the immature and weak.

I will always cherish my career having worked so hard at it. But I know now that my career alone doesn't define me as a person. I am defined by many things I've chosen to do with my life. I am the sum of all my parts and my career, while extremely important to me, is just one part.

I will always love my family because...well...they're family. What else is there to do but love them warts and all? But I am learning now not to let my family loyalty be the barometer of my sense of self-worth.

Last night, over dinner, my gay friend was teary-eyed in narrating to me how his family and friends have been treating him since he came out. "I've had it, Sun. I can't spend the rest of my life hiding my sexual orientation to keep my family and friends happy. I'm already 55!"

Life is short, people. Let's not waste it by letting others define what makes us happy and gives us peace. Not even if they are family.