In Love With Marketing

Thank God that I do not use "Axe" or I will definitely cause the death of society columnist Malu Fernandez. I used to like her because of her funny and sarcastic comments about Kris Aquino and other creatures from our small planet, but her rumblings about our Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) is simply awful. While, we could make fun of the social climbers,preposterous politicians, and tawdry showbiz starlets, OFW's should be treated with respect for they fuel our economy-- or all of us would be eating Lucky Me forever.

This is a late entry about Malu Fernandez; if you don't know her, then you should probably stop watching those crazy telenovelas and realize that there is a more cerebral thing to pursue than watch Dyesebel and Wowowee. This is a late rejoinder for the Malu Fernandez brouhaha, but I just remember her after my speech at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) for a seminar sponsored by the Philippine Marketing Association (PMA). I was the last speaker, and I had the chance to listen to the two speakers before me ( I normally arrive twenty minutes before my talk, but since I wanted to "feel" the crowd and devise a way to truly connect with my audience, I came three hours early) It's an intimate event, I actually like it when I could interact freely with my audience. I hate big seminars with one thousand to three thousand people in attendance... there is no connection. I rather read books, and listen to Podcasts than sit for an hour and listen to a "hotshot" speaker. In Reality, you do not really "learn" from these seminars, you only attend to "validate" or "invalidate" your assumptions, and probably network and meet potential clients. I give seminars, I make money from giving speeches , but I do not suggest that a would-be-entrepreneur attends a seminar to confirm his or her "gut feel". I remember a story of this blind man who sells hotdogs in the busy street of Manhattan in New York. He is a very dedicated man and well-loved by his customers. Whether the stock market is down or up he is always there selling his food stuffs, recession or no recession, he still delivers. A very driven man, he was able to build an empire -- a chain of hotdog stores in the streets of New York, enabling him to send his only child to a prestigious business school. Immediately after college, the son took over the business. And because of his learning's in college, he conducted major market research surveys, change operations policies, and seek advice of some consultants because time was hard when he took over the business from his father. In the end, the son realized that business is really bad and decided to closed a substantial portion of the hotdog business. All the while, the father was just allowing his son to run the business. When the son was about to totally shut the business, he asked his father how he managed to survive and run the business despite the many problems he encountered in the past? The father told his son "... You see my son, I am a blind man, I did not even finish school and the only thing I know is make great hotdogs and be true to my customers, and since I am blind, I don't read newspapers, I don't even know what's happening around me, I don't know that there is a stock market crash, or a political turmoil, I just don't care, I just do what I do best... and that is to make great hotdogs, sell them and make my customers happy".

What is the essence of this story?

Sometimes we tend to analyze things so much, paralyzing our spirit to fight and go on with our battle plan. We tend to believe everything that our friends, the community, and the media tells us. They stop us from pursuing our visions and goals simply because we no longer believe in what we are capable of doing. We listened and followed cold statistical data as if they are absolute truth, and not following them would mean disaster to our business. Don't get me wrong, I believe in research but research and insights are there to guide us, to inspire, or aid us to make calculated moves.

In the end, successful business people and marketers are those who believe in his/her capabilities and are truly "connected" to his market.

Going back to my speech and the OFW, I stressed the importance of "bringing back the love" between the customers and the company. Love is the very reason why our OFW's are killing themselves to work in barren desserts, cook for aged lunatics and maniacs in Europe and Hongkong, and survive the cold winter in New York. Love is what is lacking in business and marketing today. Customers no longer feel the sincerity of the companies that sell products to them. How could a company stomach putting melamine in a milk that is supposed to make a child grow healthy and not kill him? Why would local retailers even sell smuggled goods tainted with formalin and banned in other countries?

One local company is encouraging a family to eat together-- to connect. Good try, but will our children be healthy with these instant noodles? or while the sinabawang gulay is a good campaign to encourage kids to love ampalaya, are these food additives safe? or we are just teaching mothers to simply ignore natural ingredients and just rely on these MSG-laden food additives?

I am a marketing person, I know the power that we have to convince, change perceptions, and influence people. But I hate the entire "seduction" phase that we employ just to hook our "markets".

I want real love. I want the kind of love that our OFW's are giving just to provide decent meal and piece of clothing to their love ones --- and to us in general.

I want real love not some kind of milk laced with melamine to improve business profitability.

I want real love in marketing.

I am so in love in marketing. I want to show it. I changed the tempo of my speech at AIM.

I saw from the faces of my audience that I connected well with them. Because I showed that love is the essence and the real meaning of marketing.

It's a good start.

I am so in love, I am writing about it, and will continue to advocate it.

Love me or hate me for it.

But, I will bring back LOVE in marketing.

Look, Ma! It's An Open Market!

So, you're planning to foray into business. Or, perhaps, you've been there for already quite some time now. Or, even, maybe you wanted to do so since long ago but were afraid to try. Or, still, you must be a young professional on whose dynamism and brilliance your company depends greatly.

Now, now, that globalization's open competition in the economy shouldn't dampen your spirits, should it?

And that the forecast glut in your chosen industry shouldn't frustrate you either, should it? And, that the fear of not getting your desired market share shouldn't stop you, should it?

Actually, there could be as many threats to a business venture and its management, depending on how well you prepare yourself, how effectively you deal with those otherwise little nuances that need to be either unlearned, demystified, or eliminated, or whatever; and of course, on how you perceive them.

To put it more simply, diving into and swimming through the market ocean (without drowning, that is) shouldn't be too complicatedly hard to master. After all, the plays of the market essentially depend on creativity, and creativity makes those complicated matters simple. And yes, with your creativity, threats could in fact be challenges that are even exciting to face up to right?

And mastering those market plays in your favor is indeed the crux--and fun-- of the art and science of marketing.

Now, that's not being too simplistic about it.

Just look at there. That's a vast market you're seeing, isn't it? And practically everybody does some selling, buying, or trading of goods and services with some regularity, right?

Again, yes, these market games have been long dominated by the big players (with their vast arsenal of resources, networks, etc., ) with their time, and terrain-tested strategies and tactics have thus gave them success.

But are you-- would be entrepreneurs, young blood, wellsprings of fresh ideas, and potential generation-next-in-the-industry-- conceding defeat by default? Are you admitting inferiority to those business strategies and tactics as if they were grand absolute truths?

Of course, you're not! and we should never be!

Starting on my first work, after college, as an account executive for a yellow page company, I continuously and determinedly searched for, studied, and experimented on various marketing approaches to marketing various products; approaches that defied the rules of those familiar, safe ways, but proved themselves effective. I simply did not follow the trend-- I defied!

And that's the fun of it all.

So, for you out there who wish to venture into marketing and business, here's my challenge: Brace up. Name your moment. And claim your future. Now.

Here are some basic tips to help you make that first dive, and swim around:

1. THINK BIG- Situate your steps--however small--in visions of big leaps; don't confine your capabilities and potential within "familiar safe shells" . Be bold and daring, and imaginative

2. MOTIVATE YOURSELF - Don't wait for opportunities to knock your door, because chances are.. they will not. So create your own tracks. Be aggressive. Command the game.

3. WHAM! WIN THE HEARTS OF YOUR MARKET- Don't just do business with them: give them a little something more than your product. It won't cost you that much, but will reward you greatly.

4. And, Lastly, JUST DO IT. AND DO IT RIGHT. Beginning from your very first step.

Nothing is more gratifying than seeing the fruits of your labor despite the obstacles and air of negativity around you. No economic crunch and bailout should dampen your spirit.

Reclaim your place under the sun, it's been there long time ago... waiting for you.

The market is wide open--- just open your heart and mind to it.

Wilted Plant In My Window

I am listening to this song but I cannot dig the lyrics; I just feel that the melody is caressing my inner being.

It jolted me.

My life has always been ruled by work and work alone. True that there are a lot of "drama" in my kind of job: Clients changing the direction after weeks of endless brainstorming, and with staff being paid overtime pay to complete a project only to be told that "...sorry we changed direction, it will be put on hold..." you cannot do anything, you are a helpless. You do not follow or make your own schedule, the clients dictate it to you, and you cannot haggle, or the next big time agency is ready to take over your place.

You gather your staff and pretended to enjoy bottles of San Mig Light. Vignettes of job orders overshadow the temporary refuge provided by the cold beer, and you are down to reality that you cannot visit the beach and try kayaking. Your calendar is full until December 30.

What the fuck, I have not even planned my birthday bash yet I am helping launch two new businesses. My bed is complaining that we seldom bond, the lone plant in my window has wilted, and no amount of water could resuscitate it, I reluctantly signed its death certificate.

I plan my escape, every Saturday I would thread the blighted roads leading to Mendiola, and the smell of books and the serenity of the abbey would inject new life to my veins-- away from my world.

Ideal. Sincere.

But, I have to leave, the smell of books, and the audience, while they continue to inspire me, are great accoutrements to my life, but I need to replace my plant in my window, and carress my pillows.

I need to breathe.

It's my new reality.