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 […]
Q&A
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 […]
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 […]
Q1: Congratulations on being part of the first batch of recipients of the Mansmith Market Masters Awards, the first and only recognition for senior executives based on outstanding mentoring of young marketers as brand builders. What is your people development philosophy? A: From my perspective, succeeding in developing people requires 3 elements – a compelling sense of purpose, an aligned […]
Q1: Prior to Francorp, you have worked in Unilever for over a decade handling brands in 4 different countries. You have also studied in Manila, Singapore, Vancouver, and Oxford. How are you applying international lessons learned to Francorp? A: A major lesson I’ve learned working in Unilever and studying Innovation & Strategy in Oxford is that to truly grow global, […]
Q1: You have won a few awards as a software businessman, what’s your latest software project? A: I joined the Tech industry when I started a typical IT company in 2005, but when I met Tito Tony Meloto of Gawad Kalinga, my business outlook took a turn for the better. Tito Tony inspired me to aim for bigger things that […]
Q1: What is insighting and why is it important for a marketer or a businessperson to have insight? A1: Insighting” is basically the process of understanding what consumers need or want. It is getting to the heart of people’s thoughts, motivations and behaviors to inspire business opportunity. In that simple definition, one can immediately understand why “insighting” is important – […]