If you’ve been watching the Philippines recently, you’ve likely noticed two powerful forces rising in parallel: civic protests demanding change and startups pushing for innovation. One speaks the language of activism, the other of disruption. But at their core, both are movements, fueled by belief, powered by people, and born from frustration with the status quo. I recently joined the […]
In my adult life, my curiosity about trust deepened when, at 17, I made a costly mistake. I hired the wrong family driver, based on appearance and a neatly written biodata, without doing any background check. On his first day, he carnapped our car. Fortunately, the police later recovered it in Santa Maria, Bulacan. Looking back, that incident revealed my […]
How do Filipino brands break through the noise and build lasting loyalty in a culture where urgency and ritual coexist? The answer lies in two deeply symbolic marches that shape the Filipino experience: the urgent protest and the enduring pilgrimage. One is loud and immediate, the other slow and reverent. Together, they offer not only insight into the Filipino psyche […]
Years ago, a marketing manager approached me and asked, “Sir Josiah, how do we market trust when people already assume the worst of us?” It was a question I had no quick answer for; and I’ve always believed that important questions deserve more than quick answers. It was not a question about branding, not really. It was a question about […]
In the Trust Economy, marketing is no longer just about promoting value, it’s about living it. As we introduced last Friday in the discussion on the Trust Economy Flywheel, today’s Filipino consumers and citizens are reevaluating what they expect from brands and institutions. This follow-up zooms in on one critical principle: Cultural Literacy (Principle #2). At stake is not just […]
Across Manila, Jakarta, and Kathmandu, one force is reshaping markets: public outrage, not just at corrupt politicians, but also at ‘nepo baby’ influencers, entrenched institutions, and once-untouchable brands. In today’s hyperconnected world, trust isn’t given, it’s earned. Lose it, and you lose customers. Scandals involving misused funds, political favoritism, and influencer complicity aren’t just headlines; they’re changing how Filipinos and […]
I never really planned to be a teacher. I was an accidental one. The late Prof. Manny Fernandez, one of the great minds of Philippine marketing, saw me giving a talk (I can’t even remember where), and he told me I should consider teaching. That moment quietly changed the course of my life. Teaching became a calling I didn’t see […]
During two visits to Taipei in 2025, I noticed a seemingly small, everyday action: handing over a credit card to a server that reflected something much larger: how trust shapes both business and society. With decades of studying market trends and consumer behavior, I’ve seen firsthand how trust influences business interactions. This article reflects those insights, particularly in Taipei and […]
Too many entrepreneurs treat networking, marketing, or content as magic fixes. We join clubs, attend meetups, post daily, hustle hard. But no matter how busy you seem, if your business model is flawed, nothing sticks. I’ve learned this after mentoring thousands of entrepreneurs and guiding teams at Mansmith & Fielders. Let me show you why so many fail despite the […]
Early in my career at RFM Corporation, I was assigned the additional responsibility of doing food service sales, a role that combined both sales and brand management. This rare arrangement became a powerful learning opportunity. Managing both areas taught me how sales and marketing must work together and how understanding both offers a strategic edge. Years later, I started a […]