'TELESERYE' BOOM, BOON TO MARKETERS

by Roger Pe
Philippine Daily Inquirer
May 30, 2014

It used to be only the ‘bakya’ crowd loved soap operas. Now that they have evolved into teleseryes or telenovelas and are produced with a ‘Hollywood’ feel, the demographic divide has narrowed.

It is now common for white-collar workers to talk about teleseryes in the office or wherever they hang out. Even ‘donyas’ in gated villages don’t squirm anymore when conversation gravitates towards them.

ABS-CBN’s “The Legal Wife” is currently trying to break GMA 7’s “My Husband’s Lover’s” record as the Philippines’ highest rating teleserye.

Admit it, Filipinos love dramas especially if they’re good. The fondness for the genre reaches dramatic proportions during primetime – when most household members are at home, glued to the television set, eagerly waiting for what’s going to happen to their favorite hero or heroine.

Primetime is considered the most important part of the day when most Filipinos watch TV and advertisers put a larger chunk of their investment to reach more consumers efficiently.

Teleserye hits have spawned memorable lines that turned into monster hits, quoted and parodied by rabid fans that could mouth them at the drop a hat.

“You want war, I’ll give you war”, “Sinira mo ang kanta, binaboy mo pa. You’re nothing but a second-rate, trying hard copycat”, “Nagsi-swimming ka lang naka-diamonds ka pa”, “Baka nakakalimutan ninyo, kung hindi sa akin, hindi kayo makakakain ng corned beef” are just some of the most brutal, bitchy and howlingly funny lines delivered by local telenovela divas.

As technology became digital, teleseryes also became glossier and more polished, production became slicker, camera-work reached cinematic levels. And celebrities? Their star-value also increased and the semi-retired found a new lease of hope for their flickering career.

In the mid 90s, drama on tv became more acclaimed. By 2000s, they became even more powerful, and over the last three years, teleseryes were enough reasons for millions of Filipinos to stay nowhere but home.

Teleseryes have became even more popular than locally produced movies, devoured by millions of Filipinos, which average four to six members per household.

The phenomenom has produced dramatic results - they now command the highest advertising rates on Philippine television, a boon to the networks, a magnet to advertisers. They last anywhere from three months to a year, or even longer, depending on its rating.

Ratings, the magic word

Without a good rating, a teleserye may not exist. Ratings are the lifeline of a tv program and commercials make them breathe.

For advertisers to come in, the country’s two major networks, ABS-CBN and GMA 7 whose rivalry, incidentally, is also worth watching, go on a round-the-clock race for excellent programming. The goal is to entice audiences, build critical mass and top the ratings game to hook advertisers.

Which brings us to the question most marketers and ad agencies ask - which programs and network are the most watched by Filipino televiewers?

Business Friday interviews Gabby Buluran, Country General Manager of Kantar Media Philippines, a non-partisan media analyst, part of Kantar Worldwide, one of the world’s largest research and information networks today.

But before that, here’s a quick look why Kantar is currently the toast of advertising and media networks in the Philippines.
Owned by WPP with 28,500 employees in 100 countries worldwide, Kantar derived its name from the word bushel, an official Egyptian measuring system.

Kantar offers a whole range of business-media insights and audience measurement services through the analysis of print, radio, TV, internet, cinema, mobile, social media, and outdoor advertising.

Later this month, it will release a valuable industry initiative, the latest outdoor advertising expenditure report via OMAG (Outdoor Media Advocacy Group) headed by President Darmo Castillo and one of its founding members, Bing Kimpo.

For television audience measurement, Kantar has a total of 6.315 million homes in rural areas and 8.820 million homes in urban areas across the Philippines, bringing the total of 15.135 million homes nationwide covering 75 million individuals as of the latest census.

Business Friday: Why is research very important in hitting the right market?

Gabby Buluran: Research lessens the guesswork in the market. Properly implemented, research gives a reflection of the true universe. Much like a Cook tasting his soup. He need not finish the whole pot to tell if it tastes good.

BF: What makes Kantar different from long established ratings companies?

GB: Kantar Media is just as experienced as other established research companies in the Philippines. TNS our more known sister company has been doing research in the Philippines for more than 30 years. Kantar Media on the other hand has a management team that has experience with audience and media research since 1995.

Having said that, our biggest difference is our technology called audio matching. It allows Kantar to track digital broadcast and report audiences watching via digital platforms. This segment is growing in the Philippines.

BF: How do you establish credibility in this business?

GB: A long track record of delivering on commitment is what makes one credible. Accurate and timely data over a long period establish credibility.

BF: Why should ad/media agencies and networks rely on Kantar?

GB: Kantar has the right tools, the experience and the commitment to provide the service required by the fast changing media environment. This is true both locally and globally. Modesty aside, Kantar Media has the most seasoned media research team in the country.

BF: How do you penetrate the remotest part of the Philippines to be able to conclude a reliable survey?

GB: It starts with out establishment survey. This study ensures that our sample is comprehensive and spread out (safety of researchers considered) to the remotest area in the Philippines.

BF: Is there any way that a research can be rigged?

GB: Research results can always be influenced by people who intends to do so. Researchers have the responsibility to prevent this from happening. Kantar Media has quality controls in place to monitor unusual viewing patterns and behavior.

BF: It is used to be AC Nielsen that marketers and ad agencies have dealt with in the past. What can you say now that Kantar is making headway?

GB: The past 2 years have been very exciting. From 2 major networks subscribing to the service, we now have more than a dozen paying networks, media agencies and cable content providers subscribing to Kantar data. PANA gets monthly ratings data from Kantar Media.

BF: What is the future of research business in the Philippines?

GB: The fast changing consumers and audiences in the Philippines will ensure a good future for research. They are fragmenting and are becoming more sophisticated. With this changes, research will develop more tools and methods to provide more accurate, timely and relevant insights to their subscribers.

Based on Kantar’s April 2013 data, ABS-CBN, the country’s largest and leading multimedia conglomerate, continues to dominate TV viewing across urban and rural homes nationwide with an average total day audience share of 42% or 12 points higher than GMA’s 30%.

ABS-CBN also ruled the hotly contested primetime block (6PM-12MN), with an average national audience share of 46% vs. GMA’s 29%.

CLIMBING THE AD SUMMIT

By Roger Pe
Philippine Daily Inquirer
May 16, 2014

When you get there, you get a better view of the advertising landscape and come down with a bagful of enlightenment.

True to its promise, organizers of Ad Summit delivered rock star speakers at the Subic Exhibition and Convention Center last May 7 to10. The topics indeed, rocked your senses and the reaction of audiences, always thunderous. Each one inspiringly lived up to expectations.

Each session was filled to the rafters. On hallways, coffeeshops, convention lounges, lunch and dinner halls, conversations always veered on “who delivered the most interesting topic for the day.”

And the most mentioned names? Philippine basketball coach to World Championship: Chot Reyes and JWT Regional President and China CEO: Tom Doctoroff.

In a gathering of brand experts, hard-to-please creative people and digital geeks, what’s basketball got to do with advertising? Plenty.

The advertising war has many similarities to basketball. If you listened closely to Reyes and got his the drift you would know that playing basketball is not just wearing a jersey and you shoot the ball. You need a strategy and more.

“You need trust, execution, accountability and motivation (TEAM),” Reyes said in his engaging storytelling.

Reyes drew a lot of criticisms when he picked Jimmy Alapag, the oldest and the shortest, a no-no if you’re aiming for the best in Asia and want to barge in to the world’s elite in basketball. But he dealt with them head-on and the rest is history.

“I chose Jimmy Alapag to be part of my team because I trust him. I know that when the situation calls for it, he will deliver,” Reyes said as he made a lot of people in the audience teary-eyed.

In his wonderful narrative delivered heartwarmingly, Reyes said: “The first foundation of teamwork is trust. The coach should trust his players and vice versa. In In business, people talk about return of investments. “We should talk about return of relationship,” Reyes said matter-of-factly.

Unknown to millions of Filipinos who watched the crucial Philippine-Korea game during the FIBA-Asia Championship, Reyes had a strategy worth retelling. The team had focus and went to the court with unwavering mindset: “Beat Korea”.

Using analogy to score advertising three-pointers, Reyes was uncovering a scientific coach in him, saying, no one is an accidental player and one has a role to play and need to follow a specific game plan.

In his speech, Reyes said the most touching part, the Mark Pingris “no-skills-and-cannot-shoot story.” He repeatedly said, “the guy cannot shoot” but quickly made the turnaround by saying: “… but he can hustle like no other. His calling card is effort.”

Players who have natural ability to work hard are the best players, according to Reyes. “The best players are those who are willing to play their roles. Effort beats God-given talent or educational background.”

“Mark Pingris cannot shoot but he can steal market share,” Reyes said. In the heart-stopping game against Korea, Alapag made the winning shot because Pingris blocked Alapag’s defender.

“You may be the best player in the team, but do you have the humility to allow another player to make a play?” Reyes related how Jason Castro, one of the country’s best players, allowed another player to take a shot.

In the dying minutes of the Philippines-Korea game, Reyes replaced Alapag with the team’s best defenders. “Alapag didn’t care even if he was the highest shooter at that time. It was because he knew how a team should work,” Reyes said.

“As head coach, my job is not to make a shot but to put my people in the right position to make a shot. Leaders are head coaches.”

Reyes’ was easily Day One’s best speaker.
Doctoroff on the other hand, ended the 4-day summit with a big bang. Undoubtedly, his presentation was the best, very well researched and beautifully art directed.

An expert in the greater China market, Doctoroff spiced up his speech with Mandarin, lectured with fire and thunder, a master preaching brand advocacy like the gospel.

If Reyes talked about ROR (return of relationship) Doctoroff spoke about ROI (return of involvement) in branding.

He shared how the Internet is making China the world’s biggest economy because it is now “more powerful than Buddhism.” The author of the book "What Chinese Want: Culture, Communism & The Modern Chinese Consumer" said, “the speed with which China's citizens have embraced all things digital is one sign that things are in motion in the country.”

Inspite of some glitches and short amount of preparation time, the Philippine 4A’s (Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies), through its President Norman Agatep, put on a great show. Ad Summit made a rousing start, triumphant in regaining its foothold on the country’s biggest ad festival. If only for that, people are already talking about the next.

“The Ad Summit is our own little version of Cannes and that’s good. I just hope they’ll make ghost ads scamper away,” one ad agency copywriter said.

“The next Ad Summit should have more rock star speakers, a plenary hall that can make you can see speakers from any vantage point, flawless shuttle bus service, blazing speed wifi, more tables and electricity plugs at the media room, generous sponsors, bigger loot bags, more interesting trade shows that offer new technology,” says a top agency head.

Lito “BoyP” Pangilinan, co-chair of Programs Committee says, “the industry is back together again.” Ways and Means co-chair Lito Yabut adds, “we were thought to be a crazy bunch to persist with it. It takes “puso” to make it run. I have been very privileged to be in the same company who share the same aspirations.”

No one could be happier than the person who determinedly pushed it to happen, and that is Matec Villanueva, Ad Summit chair who said it all: “We’re glad we got back what is rightfully ours.”

A GREAT BRAND DOESN'T HAPPEN OVERNIGHT

By Roger Pe

How many brands are there in the market across all product categories? Just going to a supermarket near you can be overwhelming.

Brands are all over us – on the road, when you go to a bank, beauty salon, stay in a hotel, frolic in a resort, dine out with the family, hangout with the gang in a coffee shop, cook dinner at home, enjoy a weekend trip or simply just by going to a barber shop.

From automobiles to banks, from household items to telecom services, from appliances to mobile phones, from beverages to fastfood, from soaps to apparel, the list is never ending.

Some people are brands, too. Celebrities, personalities, sport heroes, inventors, artists, professionals in different fields, people who have earned stripes for what they have achieved.

Even cities and nations are brands. When we think of a city that never sleeps, we think of New York. Paris comes to mind when we think of fashion and chic lifestyle. Samba and mardi gras? Most of us will think of Rio de Janeiro.

When we think about ancient civilizations, Greece and Italy come to mind. When we think about chocolates and watches we associate them with Switzerland. And without a doubt, Germany will be the first thing on our lips when we think about cars.

In his “What is Nation Brand?” article, marketing guru Simon Anholt, emphasized the importance of nation branding and wrote why nations should take control of its brand image in a highly competitive marketplace.

He said: “a national brand is national identity made tangible, robust and useful. It is without a doubt, the single most valuable item of intellectual property, which any nation can possess.”

According to Anholt, brands of countries reflect the kind of nation its marketing sectors are building. What kind of brands does our country market? Innovative, hygienic, exportable, can transcend borders, world-class? It would be good to ask that question to Philippine marketers, or better yet, the global arbiter and people who have the final say – the consumers.

Good, Better, SuperBrands

A great brand is like an athlete preparing for the Olympics. It does not plunge right into action when it is not ready. It spends years of hardwork and spartan training to meet definitive qualifying standards.

Great brands know their consumers.
“Their manufacturers usually invest in market research, understanding as much as they can about the human psyche and how to be as useful and relevant to their audiences,” says Karl Treacher in his “Ten Things Great Brands Do”.

Good brands know who they are and why they exist. A brand that doesn’t know its purpose is a disaster waiting to happen, Treacher says. “Those that become top brands consistently demonstrate their purpose and value through consumer experiences,” he adds.

Treacher also mentions that great brands are not different for the sake of being different. Everything they do has meaning and relate back to their core purpose, according to him.

A good brand doesn’t happen overnight. It takes good people with undying passion to make it perfect. In the Philippines, Ronald Mascariñas, President of Bounty Agro Ventures, Inc. is one such. He challenged the poultry industry and introduced a breakthrough product like Chooks-to-Go to be relevant. As a result, the brand today is holding its own against competition.

The brand of the future goes under market tests and painstaking research. It doesn’t settle for ‘the good enough’ until the desired results are met. If needed, a product must be reformulated for the demands of the market.

Chooks-To-Go challenged the conventional way of selling roasted chicken and offered the first-ever oven roasted chicken in the Philippines. It also challenged the traditional lechon manok with sauce by offering pre-marinated roasted chicken that is good even without the sauce.

All these efforts, plus a delivery service in Metro Manila, made Chooks-to-Go the dominant brand in the market. It was also the first to advertise heavily and is now introducing its first ever celebrity endorser, Richard Yap.

All over the world, great brands are not different for the sake of being different. Everything they do has meaning and relate back to their core purpose.

Which brings us to the elite segment, the SuperBrands and why marketing experts worldwide recognize them for their efforts in nation branding.

Superbrands, an independent global arbiter on branding recognizes the world's leading brands. It is not your typical dime-a-dozen award-giving body creeping out of the woodwork where one can buy it. It has awarded over 10,000 brands based on quantitative or qualitative truths over the past 18 years.

Together with selected industry experts and consumers, it defines what a SuperBrand is, based on the following stringent criteria: Market dominance, longevity, goodwill, customer loyalty and market acceptability.

The organization also publishes a series of brand-focused books in over 88 countries including the Philippines. Brands that are rated highly by its council and consumers are eligible for inclusion.

A little backgrounder: SuperBrands came to the Philippines in 1997, making the country the first in ASEAN to be honored with the expanse of its worldwide award seal. It was also a validation of the Philippine’s increasing reputation as makers of quality brands.

The first series of SuperBrand publications in the Philippines was launched in 1998. It featured over 200 models of flawless branding. Because of its improving economy and rise to the ASEAN community, the country caught the attention of Superbrands International Organization in 2010, thus assimilating the Filipino market into the network of key markets where Superbrands operates.

Today, SuperBrands is a confirmation of the position held by powerful international brands on the local market, as well as a celebration of Philippine brands that now participate in a universal circuit enjoying consumer confidence and preference over competing brands.

Philippine SuperBrands

The very best of Philippine brands are listed in the SuperBrand books, all from trusted companies with a heritage of creating quality products proudly made in the Philippines.

The latest to join the august list is Chooks-To-Go, a brand that has become popular among Filipino chicken lovers with its unique selling proposition of being “masarap kahit walang sauce!” - its main differentiator that has led to the overwhelming enthusiastic acceptance of consumers.

The brand offers ten (10) delicious chicken favorites: Sweet Roast, Pepper Roast, Fried Chooks, Juicy Liempo, Chooksie’s Dressed Chicken, Chooksie’s Chicken Cut-Ups, Chooksie’s Marinado, Chooksie’s Spicy Necks, Mickey and Disney Princesses Chicken Nuggets and Disney Chicken Hotdog.

One of the many surprising facts about Chooks-to-Go, aside from it being delicious even without the sauce, is that it is the only roasted chicken brand that offers two flavors– Sweet Roast and Pepper Roast. Aside from oven-roasted chicken, it also offers fresh chicken bought per kilo and fresh and marinated chicken cut-ups.

What is now known as Chooks-To-Go is a successful brand that emerged from a pilot-test in November 2007 with only ten roasted-chicken outlets in the Visayas (Central Philippines) and later embarked on a full-scale expansion by the second half of 2008, and finally sporting the Chooks-To-Go name a year after.

The new brand was officially launched nationwide with a tri-media campaign. By 2010, it gained market leadership with a network of more than 500 stores.

Fast forward, the brand has close to 1,000 stores all over the country today, enjoying word-of-mouth popularity from millions of satisfied consumers. Sales growth has been phenomenal, making it the dominant leader in its category.

With a trailblazing brand like Chooks-To-Go, the Philippines is strengthening its market maturity, proud nation of many world-class brands.

SPEAKERS OF THE HOUSE, 2014 AD SUMMIT PILIPINAS

by Roger Pe

What will be Ad Summit Pilipinas’ biggest come-on when it unfolds this coming May?

Matec Villanueva, chair of the ad industry’s biggest event this year, quickly tells Business Friday: “We are bringing the movers and shakers of our industry to make the Summit a world-class gathering of the creative, the curious, and the wise.”

Villanueva says attendees will experience a no-nonsense program, precision-quick according to schedule, and most of all, the speakers will come only from the very best in the industry. “You may call them rock-star speakers and because of that, we expect 100% attendance,” she says.

With that, you can give it a long, resounding applause this early.

The Philippines’ first Ad Summit, hopefully a much better reincarnation of the defunct Ad Congress will be held in Subic Bay Convention Center from May 7 to 10. It hopes to showcase the very best creative work of the industry with market results and break existing attendance records. The format follows a bit of Asia Adfest and a little bit of Cannes with the awarding of the Best of “Kidlat” Awards on penultimate night.

Relevant speakers and luminaries in their respective fields will take centerstage on Day One.
As the theme goes, a good measure of “enlightenment” from what’s happening in the global marketing and ‘admosphere’ will set everyone’s excitement on fire.

The first batch of speakers:

Emily Abrera, the Philippine’s first jury member in Cannes (2005) heads a star-studded cast. Currently chair of CCI-Asia, the content-production company behind Living Asia Channel, Abrera is also the president of the Foundation for Communication Initiatives.

Abrera is both chairman of the board of Cultural Center of the Philippines and Children’s Hour Philippines, founding member of the Women’s Business Council and currently member of the Edsa People Power Commission and first woman president of a multinational ad agency in the Philippines. She last held the position of chairman emeritus of McCann WorldGroup.

Another local speaker is Merlee Jayme, ‘Chairmom’ and Chief Creative Officer of DM9 Jayme-Syfu. Jayme was Executive Creative Director at BBDO Guerrero before she started her own agency more than 6 years ago.

She was previously vice president and executive creative director of Ace Saatchi & Saatchi. As head of DM9 Jayme-Syfu, Jayme catapulted her creative shop to the number one spot in the Philippines (2010 Campaign Brief Asia Ranking) and was awarded Campaign Asia- Pacific Creative Agency of the Year for the Philippines in 2012.

Last year, Jayme’s work (“TXTBKS”) for a telecom brand won the Philippines’ first ever Cannes Grand Prix Lion. Advertising bible Ad Age headlined the news that was also picked up by most trade magazines worldwide.

Jayme’s team idea was simple: Solve the issue of decreasing use of textbooks in a country where many people cannot afford tablets or e-readers and where most families own analog phones. Jayme and her team collaborated with textbook publishers to condense books into text messages. Those messages were then put into old SIM cards, which were repackaged and created a new brand of textbooks.

Another is Cheuk Chiang, CEO of Omnicom Media Group Asia-Pacific whose career spans across account management, strategy planning and agency management roles in creative, direct marketing, digital and media agencies.

Chiang has a 23-year year experience working on a number of high profile brands such as Coca-Cola, Heineken, Heinz, Hennessy, HP, Holden, HTC, Kraft, Mars, Myer, Motorola, Nestle, Nikon, Tiger Beer and Unilever. He was named Agency Innovator of the Year by Internationalist Magazine in 2010 and sat on the Cannes jury in 2013.

Also on the marquee of speakers is Tom Doctoroff, JWT Asia-Pacific CEO, a much sought keynote speaker who has graced speaking engagements at the International Advertising Association’s global symposium and University of Chicago’s Global Management Conference. He has authored two best-selling books on Chinese consumers: "Billions: Selling to the New Chinese Consumer” and "What Chinese Want”, published in 2012. He was was selected as an Official Torchbearer for the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and lives in Shanghai.

Dick Van Motman, chairman and CEO of Dentsu Network Asia too, is on the line-up. Motman spent over 20 years in senior account and regional management positions at DMB&B, Leo Burnett and DDB in various European and Asian markets.

He joined Dentsu Network Asia in 2012 as the first non-Japanese head of the region helping in the transformation journey towards building the first ever Global Communications Group born out of Asia.

Following the acquisition of Aegis Media by Dentsu Inc., Motman was asked to lead Southeast Asia operations for the newly formed Dentsu Aegis Network, built specifically for the digital age. He heads both the former Dentsu and Aegis assets, comprising 35 operations across Southeast Asia.

Prior to joining Dentsu Aegis Network, Motman spent 9 years at DDB Worldwide, leading the business in the Greater China Group, which went on to become the Campaign Creative Agency of the Year in 2010, Campaign Digital Agency of the Year and the Adage A-list Agency of the Year.

Joining them is Sandipan Roy, Isobar Asia-Pacific Regional Strategy Director, who is known to be “a multi-dimensional marketer with a passion for uncovering deep human insights and developing big business building ideas.”

Roy is deeply experienced in developing brand, advertising, digital, Customer Relations Management, data, and shopper marketing strategies. He has also held senior leadership roles at global, regional as well as in-country levels working on clients like Citibank, McDonalds, Stanchart, P&G, Kellogg’s, Land Rover, Jaguar, Samsung, Unilever, American Express, and Singapore Tourism Board.

“Our vow is to create programming that will definitely enlighten our attendees on the things that they have been wanting to discover about advertising and marketing,” says Villanueva.

Addition to this list include Louie Morales, assistant vice president for HR and Corporate Services of Meralco Subsidiary, Chot Reyes, head coach of Philippine National Team and head of TV5 Sports5, Marius Rebeschini, CEO of Y&R Asia Pacific, Simon Kemp, managing director of We Are Social; Ariel Fermin, executive vice president and head of PLDT’s Home Business, Charles Cadell, regional president of McCann Worldgroup, APAC and TV host/ entrepreneur Boy Abunda.

“It remains our vow to create a programming that will definitely enlighten our attendees on the things that they have been wanting to discover about the ad and marketing scene,” Ad Summit chair Matec Villanueva said.

Interested participants may contact the 4A’s secretariat at 813-4397 or 893-1205, or e-mail: 4asp@pldtdsl.net. Registration may also be done through the summit’s official websitewww.adsummit.phfacebook.com/AdSummitPHtwitter.com/@ADSummitPH

AD CAMPAIGNS MUST CONTRIBUTE TO BRAND LONGEVITY

by Roger Pe



She is a weekend warrior who loves to cook and entertain people at home. In her profession, she would like her agency’s ads to win not only creative but also marketing awards.

Meldy Warren started with Campaigns & Grey in 1992. After twelve years, she moved to Kuala Lumpur and worked as Client Services Director for FCB Malaysia and as Regional Account Director at Malaysia’s most creative agency then, Saatchi & Saatchi Malaysia.

She came back to Manila in 2010 and was rehired by Campaigns. A year after, she co-managed the Digital and Events division of the agency and then eventually promoted to Managing Director of Neuron, the second above-the-line agency of Campaigns.

Why a second agency? Ong felt there was a need to set up another to service local companies who would like to enjoy the benefits from a multinational agency but who would have otherwise been shut out because of global alignments.

“It was also meant to cater to clients who feel they are not too big for big agencies. It is basically a boutique agency. We have our own accounts management and creative department,” Warren adds.

With less than 10 employees on its first year, Neuron had gross billings of 500 million, “a feat not a lot of start up companies can claim,” according to Warren.

Neuron was set up in 2006 by industry icon Yoly Ong, the first Filipino to judge in the modern-day Clio. Ong handpicked one of her best and brightest agency people, among them Boboy Consunji, who was initially appointed Managing Director, and industry creative goddess Ompong Remigio as Executive Creative Director.

Consunji was recently promoted as Chief Operating Officer of Campaigns & Grey after propelling Neuron to become what it is today, Campaigns’ most profitable ad agency.

With Consunji’s promotion, a vacuum was needed to fill. Warren was the perfect choice to be Neuron’s second MD, taking the reigns from Consunji.

Business Friday interviews Warren, the charming and affable career woman who has risen as Neuron’s Managing Director. She’s on her second term as Philippine 4A’s director acting as the association’s treasurer and very active in the 2014 Ad Summit Pilipinas finance committee.
She takes us to her career journey, management style and in and out of advertising’s frenetic world.

BF: Tell us how you started in advertising.

MW: It was not by accident. I knew I wanted to pursue a career in mass communications even while I was still in college, but I was more interested in production. Account management was a scary thought though. I had tremendous inferiority complex and I didn't think I'd survive servicing clients. I would have preferred to be on the production side.

Anyway, I did not start in advertising right after college. The first real offer came from a fastfood company and I worked as one of the shift managers. Pay was significantly higher than the regular starting salary range so I grabbed it.

After a year or so, I got bored and started distributing my CVs in ad agencies. One day, my best friend tipped me off that the agency she was working with was looking for an account manager. I took it even if I had to take a pay cut since I was going to be hired as Account Executive and I had to still go into a training period.

A number of my first clients were Nestle and Time Magazine and I serviced these companies for three years before I moved to my second agency, which is Campaigns & Grey, Campaigns Universal Inc. when I joined but eventually became Campaigns & Grey when we changed foreign partners.

BF: Who influenced you most in your advertising career?

MW: Hmmm… nobody really influenced me to pursue a career in advertising. It was a conscious decision I made. I thought it was a glamorous job where you are able to meet and talk to a lot of people from all walks of life. It is an industry where you can shape people's minds, give them choices, change their way of thinking and looking at things so they can have a better life or aspire for one.

But in this business I'd say my biggest influence was Yoly Ong, our group chairperson, very principled in everything she does. She's a visionary and makes sure there's a bigger purpose in whatever she does. She inspires and drives us to excel and ultimately to become our better selves.

BF: Your mentors in advertising?

Liza Ocampo, Zannie de Guzman, Yoly Ong, Gi Gatchalian were all my bosses. The first two taught me the rudiments of good account management, basically good housekeeping and client relations, Gi in communications strat and planning. Yoly is a mentor not only at work but also in life. She teaches us how to be critical and discerning and guides us in our decisions.

BF: Did you ever think of making it to where you are now?

MW: That was the goal. You never really dream to stay where you are. You want to see how high you can go and how far.

BF: Your formula for success?

Hard work, perseverance, focused, positive attitude, right timing.

BF: What kind of a boss are you?

MW: I am a combination of boss personalities. I would like to believe I am a mentor. I am someone who basically empowers and inspires my group to do its best and work to help them reach their full potentials. Every one is talented and you just need to unleash that.

I delegate when I find it necessary, supervise minimally and make the people responsible for their decisions.
As much as possible, I let the group members participate in the decision making process so that they feel relevant, useful and committed to the goal.

Authoritarian style is used only when I train newbies. But once they've grown into the role, leadership style shifts.

BF: What's your philosophy in life, how do you apply it as a boss and running an ad agency?

MW: I'd like to quote Bohdi Sanders from the book the secrets of wordly wisdom: "Focus in making yourself better, not on thinking you are better."

Appreciate what you are right now but believe that you can be greater.

In this very competitive industry, agencies have to keep evolving. The playing field is changing, client demands are tougher and competition is stiffer.

BF: Where do you see Neuron 5 to 10 years from now?

MW: I want Neuron to be recognized as one of the best in the industry in bringing fame and fortune for our Clients.
Not only will we deliver advertising that builds business, but also campaigns that guarantee brands will last for a long time.
I want it to be winning marketing awards aside from creative awards.

BF: If you are going to run the 4A's what are the things you’d initiate and implement?

MW: Digital agencies should be part of 4As because we basically do the same thing. Only our platforms are different. They should also standardize fees so that more agencies will survive. The currencies are creativity and cost efficiencies instead of lowest cost.

BF: Define creativity in real world.

MW: Creativity is being able to find brilliant and smart solutions to what is seemingly impossible to achieve, using past experiences, common logic, and most importantly, wild imagination. Without knowing it, all of us exercise creativity in accomplishing even the simplest of tasks.

For example, a little boy's mind will try to find solutions to reach a toy on top of cupboard much taller than him. Creativity is being able to perceive things in different ways, finding connections to create a new reality. A cook or a chef is a creative person.

BF: Name one problem in the ad industry and tell us how you'd want to solve it.

Dwindling advertising income, higher demands. Wild idea, how about we go back to 15% and 17.65%, merge all the services in one agency again?

BF: Who is Meldy Warren after office hours?

MW: I am a mother of two grown up kids. I enjoy cooking and entertaining people at home. I earned a diploma in Culinary Arts from the International Hotel Management Institute Switzerland, Malaysia campus in 2010. I would have wanted to pursue that new career, but advertising beckoned.

I am a very simple person who likes to enjoy weekends with family, which is rare lately but I am not exactly complaining.

My children are all grown ups and they spend less time in the house anyway. So it's beginning to feel like an empty nest. Work certainly makes it less lonely. I love doing housekeeping and I look after the household, cook and fix things around the house.

WHEN YOU GROW ASIA'S BEST CHICKEN, SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL GETS HATCHED

by Roger Pe

It all began with a vision, single-minded and focused, and that vision, executed with speed, quality and passion.

Barely seventeen years in the business,
Bounty Agro Ventures Incorporated (BAVI) is reaping the bounty and how.

Starting small in Cebu and Davao in 1997, the company eventually went full throttle, adding Luzon in its operation map five years later. Soon, the burgeoning poultry integrator covered the whole country, becoming one of the acknowledged leaders in the industry.

The next chapters in its journey give us a story worth telling and repeating.

Prior to its nationwide operation, the company embarked on a massive hunt for the best-qualified professionals to run its business. It led to its current President and General Manager, Ronald R. Mascariñas, a product of the country’s premier agri-business and business management institutions: UP Los Baños and Asian Institute of Management.

Bounty Agro Ventures, Inc. was formed under Mascarinas and underwent modernization. It studied common problems faced by players in developed countries and learned the lessons of those that have folded up in the country.

The company aggressively invested in downstream retail industry, building company-owned rotisserie stores selling roasted and dressed chicken.

Brand building came next, and coupled with an unflinching mantra for operational excellence, it set its eyes to be on top of the industry.

Bounty never forgot that a company’s best assets are the people who run it.
So it put up its own BAVI Academy, providing non-stop and comprehensive training across all levels, from the store crew all the way to executives, reinforcing one of its greatest competitive advantage: superior quality of its people. The company today is probably the only one in the industry investing heavily on training.

Last year, it invested a million dollars and hired a Swiss company to conduct training across all operating units. It was meant to improve execution and put in place a world-class management reporting system.

Things began to look good. In 2009, the company bested leading and world-renowned poultry and livestock companies in Asia and won the Best Poultry and Livestock Company Award in “Livestock Asia”, the industry’s Oscars.

It also swept all award categories: Technological Excellence, Food Safety, Marketing Excellence and Industry Leadership - a first ever for the Philippines.

On top of that, its Chairman Tennyson G. Chen was named Entrepreneur and Master Entrepreneur of the Year in 2010, in the highly prestigious SGV Foundation’s Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards.

Chen’s revolutionized the broiler chicken production industry and pioneered many of the systems now being used by the country’s poultry integrators.

Previously, the company brought in pioneering technologies and built the first single-stage hatchery to the country. It also improved sanitation and bio-security protocols within the facility, allowing it to produce chicks that are pathogen-free, healthier and stronger.

Likewise, the company invested in automated dressing technology. It took them one day to dress 1,000 chickens before, now it is able to churn more than 6,000 chilled chickens per hour.

Because BAVI was headstrong in producing the best chicken for Filipino families, it was able to pass strict global standard certifications, particularly in terms of quality management systems and food safety.

Looking forward and beyond, BAVI now has a nationwide business network of nineteen branches and two sales offices across the country with over 60 distributors, fully supported by over 600 broiler contract farms, 15 hatcheries, 10 feed mills, 21 poultry processing plants and 2 processed meats plants.

For the last four years, Bounty Fresh eggs have been the market leader for table eggs, not to mention that Bounty Fresh is also the market leader in the layer genetics business.

In 2008, BAVI launched the oven roasted chicken business under the “Chooks-To-Go” trade name, completing the entire integration cycle of the poultry operations, from farm to the dinner table.

BAVI today is the country’s number one rotisserie chicken chain with close to 1,000 stores nationwide.

Philippine Superbrand

What are SuperBrands?

They are branded as such by Superbrands, the independent global arbiter on branding that pays homage to the world's leading brands as selected by experts and consumers.

The organization publishes a series of brand-focused books in over 86 countries.
The centrepiece of a Superbrand book features many of the nation's greatest brands and provides many fascinating insights into the strongest and most valuable brands in the country.

Brands that are rated highly by its council and consumers are eligible for inclusion. Industry experts and practitioners select the top brands based on the following criteria: Market dominance, longevity, goodwill, customer loyalty and market acceptability.

Chooks-To-Go passes all these stringent criteria with flying colors and is now the country’s newest Superbrand, joining the list of trusted brands in the Philippines.

In this year’s annual Outstanding Professional Awards, Mascarinas is one of the awardees, chosen by Superbrands for his contribution to the Philippine poultry industry.

Chooks-To-Go 5 Years From Now

Asked on how he sees Chooks-To-Go five years from now, Ronald Mascarinas says Chooks-To-Go will be a global brand.

“We created a dedicated team to work on international operations. Starting this year, we will be across the region, the Middle East and West Africa. To date, we are the only company in the industry investing heavily in digital marketing and our brands are the “most liked” fresh and roasted chicken brands in the Philippines.”

CAMPAIGN ASIA CEO AND CREATIVE PERSON OF THE YEAR

by Roger Pe

Media magazine was Asia’s last word in advertising and marketing for 40 years. It was not your who’s who, what’s what publicity machine. You separated it from the boys for it ran incisive articles on branding and covered marketing successes in the region.

Asia’s first creative awards - the Spikes was originally launched by Media in the 80s as the region’s Oscars of advertising until Adfest shared in the limelight and put a ‘Cannes of Asia’ spin to it.

The Spikes’ Best of Show and several award categories were much awaited. Eventually, it added the agency networks, excellence in media, digital and the people categories (heads of agencies, planners and outstanding creative personalities).

The obelisk-shaped trophy was coveted, not only for its design, but also for the hard currency prestige it brought to the winners.

A couple of years back, the magazine rebranded with an online version and went full throttle as Campaign Asia (not to be confused with Campaign Brief Asia) having bought by Haymarket Media Group, publisher of Campaign, United Kingdom’s leading trade magazine.

On December 11 this year, the eyes and ears of Asian advertising will honor Asia Pacific’s Agency of the Year as well as recognize the year’s best in all categories.

For the first time, two Filipinos will be waiting in the wings to win, for their achievements over the last three years. DDB Philippines group chairman and CEO Gil G. Chua is a finalist in the Southeast Asia Agency Head of the Year and Merlee Jayme of DDB DM9 Jayme-Syfu as Creative of the Year.

Significance of the award

“The year 2012 presented a difficult and challenging time for advertising and PR. We had to “bite the bullet” at making difficult decisions given clients’ downsizing their budgets due to diminishing peso power of the consumer,” observes PR maven Henrietta ‘Bonjin’ Bolinao.

Given the scenario, Business Friday asks some industry folks on the significance of the recognition accorded to recent batch of Filipino admen:

Emily Abrera, Chair Emeritus McCann WorldGroup: “It will be something we can be proud of. It would mean the Filipino ad industry is alive and kicking and can hold its own among its peers in Asia.”

Robin Hicks, Editor, Mumbrella Asia and former Editor of Media Magazine: “DM9’s “TXTBKS” has raised the creative bar in the Philippines and puts the country back on the world’s advertising map where it belongs. The agency’s idea for Smart is now being used by telcos in other countries.

Gil and Merlee now have the task of ensuring that others follow where they have led with genuinely bold, agenda-setting ideas that push through a creative environment often highlighted by scam and copycatting.”

Harmandar Singh, Editor, Adoi and Asian Marketing Magazine Worldwide: “The win will inspire local leadership growth.”

A multinational ad agency Creative Director: “The award is all the more special in the light of continuing changes that is happening. Whoever can manage difficult challenges, put in creative leadership and provide innovative business solutions to clients deserves special plaudits.”

Why the honorees won the judges’ nod? Here’s a peek on their credentials:

Chua started his career as media assistant in 1977 and rose from the ranks as a media planner at the former Advertising and Marketing Associates, Inc, (AMA) a Filipino agency, which went into partnerships with the New York-based DDB Needham Worldwide.

He handled various positions in media, accounts, events management and PR, eventually becoming the owner, Group Chairman and CEO of DDB Group Philippines in 2008.

In his role, Chua heads the country’s most effective and creative business solutions company. Known as a true and committed partner to his people, clients and media, an innovations champion.

When he took over in 1999, DDB had only 28 employees and US$2 million in billings. Under his leadership, DDB’s business in the Philippines grew exponentially.
He grew the partnership into what is now DDB Group Philippines (DDB Philippines, DDB-DM9 Jayme-Syfu, Touch DDB, Tribal Worldwide, DDB PR, and DDB Remedy) offering integrated marketing communications, digital and interactive media, media planning and buying, public relations and activation.

Despite increasing financial pressures, Chua remained resilient to the objective that DDB’s people are to be nurtured, educated and nourished to grow. He ploughed back part of the group’s earnings and invested in training. He maintained staff benefits and offered flexible working hours for mothers and staff, also prioritized empowering his staff.

Indicative of its effectiveness, DDB Group Philippines had a 99% participation rate
in the network’s DDB Voice, scoring higher than any other country in Southeast Asia.

Chua had only one specific goal: for DDB to be recognized as the best in the market, both in creativity and effectiveness. The result today is a dizzying windfall of recognition here and abroad.

DDB Group won the Philippines’ first Grand Prix in Cannes — the only grand prix for the DDB global network this year and a Gold AME (Advertising and marketing Effectiveness) in New York.

Both wins were a first for the country. Back home, the group was also named Agency of the Year, given by the Philippine Quill Awards of the International Association of Business Communicators and Campaign Brief Asia named DM9 as Philippines most creative ad agency.

Recognitions from international and local award-giving bodies have not stopped coming in. As a result, the DDB Group gained numerous new business wins.

Chua played a substantial role across most of these wins, often as accounts manager, a back-seat planner giving out directions, sometimes as creative and always a cheerleader.

He is also known to be an entrepreneur with a big heart who always aimed at giving back.

In 2008, Chua initiated DDB Cares, proving that DDB Group was not just about profitability. “We also believe in giving back to the community, quoting Bill Bernbach, the agency founder: “All of us who professionally use the mass media are the shapers of society. We can vulgarize that society. We can brutalize it. Or we can help lift it onto a higher level.”

Creative of the Year

The other Filipino who is about to score another first is Merlee Jayme, chair and chief creative officer of multi-awarded agency DDB DM9 Jayme-Syfu, which won the Philippines’ first Cannes Grand Prix (for Mobile) this year.

Jayme’s “TXTBKS” for Smart Telecom is about to shatter the Philippine record as the most internationally awarded Filipino campaign in history.

The founding ‘chairmom’ of the youngest ad agency to win 5 Grand Prix awards (4 more from other international award-giving bodies) has judged in Cannes, sat as jury chair in a number of Asian, Ad Congress, Agency of the Year and “Kidlat” creative competitions. She is also part of DDB’s regional council of creative leaders.

Jayme has won a Cannes Media Lion, an impressive number of awards from Clio, Adfest, D&AD, AWARD Australia, The Work, Gold in Spikes Asia, Epica and digital Asian awards. Her DM9 shop was Campaign Asia’s 2013 Creative Agency of the Year.

In 2009, she was awarded the Hall Of Fame Award by the Creative Guild of the Philippines and New York Festivals Creative Achievement Award.

She was jury president for Outdoor Lotus in Asia Adfest, jury member in the prestigious Cannes Lions Festival in France for Outdoor Lions and jury head for Indonesia's biggest award show Citra Pariwara 2012. This year, she was part of the executive jury of the New York Festivals.

Her creative shop has been ranked the Philippines’ number one in the 2010 Campaign Brief Asia ranking and was awarded Campaign Brief Asia’s Most Creative Agency of the Year for the Philippines in 2012.

Campaign Asia’s AOY awards have been known to recognize inspired leadership, management excellence, outstanding business performance and overall achievements in Asia-Pacific. The win by Chua and Jayme is a also a recognition for the Philippine ad industry.