Q1: I met you close to 25 years ago when you were country manager of Pioneer Hybrid Corn in the Philippines. Now you are Asia Pacific Corn Marketing Head for Syngenta, a merger of the agro division of Novartis and Zeneca. As a veteran in this field, can you share the highlights and developments that has changed the way business […]
The year was 1990. I was a rookie director of the Philippine Marketing Association and was in charge of the youth and academe sector. This position connected me with many marketing professors, one of whom was Prof. Emmanuel Fernandez, then Chairman of the Management Department of the Ateneo de Manila University. He heard me give a short talk in marketing and invited […]
Q1: You introduced two new product categories in the Philippines, Green Cross Rubbing Alcohol in 1952 and Zonrox Bleach in 1954. They are popular products now. What made you think there would be a big market for those products in the 1950s? Back the 1950s, I knew there would be a big market for alcohol because of my experience at […]
Chiqui and I co-authored “The WE Entrepreneurs” in 2010 and shared the ten building blocks to entrepreneurial authenticity. Reinforcing its status as the No. 1 book on entrepreneurship at National Bookstore, and in celebration of both Mansmith and Fielders Inc.’s 20th Anniversary as well as my 25th Anniversary as an entrepreneur then, we launched Day 8 Business Academy for SMEs […]
Q1: The unserved market of non-motel (or drive-in hotel) goers is much, much bigger than the motel goers. You have since expanded your target group to include the party market. What was the insight that led you to this new market segment? Party segment has evolved from guests’ requests. It started from guests asking for rooms they can use for […]
One of the more frequently asked questions by parents who have children starting to help them run their businesses is how to train their children to succeed them. Sometimes, the question even starts with – how do we get our children to want to run the family business? While this issue on family succession has many facets including personal ones, […]
Q1: Can you describe what the Uniqlo brand is all about? Other than being of Japanese origin, how different or similar is it with say Giordano or Gap in terms of fashion or customer base? We consider UNIQLO as LifeWear, which means UNIQLO is complete when it is worn and become a part of our customers’ Life. We are not […]
A step to creating customer bonding strategy is to ensure your target market knows you (brand awareness) and recognizes you for the right reason (brand association). Without awareness, trial and repeat purchase which are the two types of sales, won’t happen. The Philippines was hit by Yolanda, the world’s biggest typhoon to date, on November 8, 2013. No less than 6,000 people have […]
Q1. You have different pizza brands – Jimini Whole Pizza for kids, Pizza Pedricos for sharing with barkada or family, and Santino’s Supreme Slice, a grab & go slice pizza brand for the budget-conscious & time-starved individuals. What were the opportunities you saw or the insights you uncovered that led to the development of each of these brands? We started […]
It started when I decided to work from home one weekday in 2013. Before the end of the day, I posted a Facebook message that I looked forward to have some quiet time once a week to read, exchange ideas, have coffee with friends and maybe meet new ones from different fields. Jeffrey Manhilot of Reckitt was the first to […]