Q: The worldwide advocacy group, Government Trafficking In Person (GTIP), has ranked the Philippines no. 1 in Asia on compliance of anti-human trafficking since 2010, how was the Immigration Bureau able to do that? A: TEAM EFFORT. Our country’s anti trafficking campaign requires the participation of several agencies. BI only gets involved when the victims or the traffickers are found […]
Q1: Inglot is a make up brand from Poland. How did you encounter each other? A: My sister and I have been wanting to venture into possible brands to introduce to the Filipino consumers. We attempted venturing into food franchises but there were failed attempts due to circumstances. We were contacting 10 – 20 brands in different industries – food, […]
I was 26 years old when I was invited by Leni Tiongco-Paderanga from the Executive Development Academy to join the Philippine Marketing Association (PMA) in 1988. It was the beginning of a series of transformations I went through that especially shaped my views on life, on pursuing excellence, on paying forward, and on making a difference. Just a year before […]
Q1: Question to PRA President & Duty Free COO Lorenzo Formoso: What regulatory changes are affecting retailing in the Philippines? “The Retail Trade Liberalization Act has been the most pertinent government regulation affecting the Philippine retail industry especially now that there are a lot of foreign brands coming in to the country. This Act protects Filipino retailers and at the […]
Q1: Congratulations! Piandre is celebrating its 28th anniversary this year. What made Piandre last this long? A: My mom, Linda Francisco, founder of Piandre Salons, has many secrets to success – one of which is her idea of a Total Development Program which involves training in skills, character building and most importantly Spiritual Development. I think Piandre is one of […]
Q1: Your notebooks are doing well despite being priced premium. What made you decide to focus on the upscale market with various brands? A: Consumers today are more mature and buy intelligently. They do not just buy a product due to being the lowest price. They look for value and differentiation. Each Sterling notebook is value for money due to […]
Q1: What was the inspiration behind the Karimadon clothing business? How has the business and the brand transformed through the years? A: Karimadon started in 1980 as a small store selling PX goods in Virra Mall. Soon, however, people began asking where I got the clothes I was wearing. At that time, most of my clothes were of my own […]
Q1: Before becoming an entrepreneur, you were the Marketing Director of Unilever Philippines and President/CEO of Unilever-Bestfoods, tell us what your most memorable launches are, both successes and failures, in your corporate life and why? A1: As Marketing Director of Unilever Philippines, I must say it was the launch of Surf detergent bar which was then followed by the launch […]
Value chain allows companies to define the sequence of activities as well as key players in their industry. It also helps firms understand potential players that can prevent consumers from buying their products. Entrepreneurs and marketers must be able to read the intent of these four groups – channel, competitors, substitutes and imitators. Channel: Think of the bargaining power of […]
Q1: You ventured into manufacturing bread immediately after college in the 1980’s. After two decades, you launched the first two of a series of innovations, namely the Walter Sugar Free Bread in 2005 and the Double Fiber (wheat plus apple) Bread in 2006. What was the turning point for the sudden change of direction? The market was getting crowded with […]