Q1: Your company deals mostly with generational transitions.  What are some issues confronting family businesses that are usually overlooked by families? To their credit, most of the family business leaders we meet think a lot about succession. The vast majority are very interested in having what they have built continue into the next generation. More than anything else, the senior […]

Q1: Congratulations on the 20th anniversary of Gingersnaps! What was your inspiration when you first launched a fashionable children’s wear and maternity wear business? We always loved kids, so it came very naturally for us to do something that involved kids. At that time, there was an absence of fashionable children’s and maternity clothing. We wanted to change the way […]

Q1: Why do you use Chief Evangelizing Officer as  your position title in your company? What is your “evangelizing” mission? Your goal is not simply to make a sale today, you want to invite your customers to join you in your cause… your mission. In our case, more fun in the beach with Beach Hut Sunblock or making sure your […]

Q1: Congratulations on your leading Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation (YBHF), which started as the Zamboanga Fund for Little Kids, can you share a brief history how this boat advocacy was born? This boat advocacy started when Juljimar Gonzales shared the story of how he saw a group of kids at Layag Layag with one hand holding a plastic bag and another […]

Q1: What tools do you use as a guide to help spot opportunities and formulate the right business and marketing strategies? For Product Planning: Industry Scanning/Emerging Trends for new product development BCG Matrix (Revenue/Value/ Volume), Gross Margin, Market Share to assess performance of existing products For Marketing Plans Industry Analysis (Key Success Factors, Competitive Landscape, Emerging Trends) Brand DNA SWOT […]

Chairman and Chief Marketing Strategist of Mansmith Training Group Chairman and CEO of Waters Philippines Chairman / Vice Chairman / Director of over 12 companies Former Director of Waters-Asia (1995-2000)

Edie Acedera is the founder and managing director of Brandev Insights and Consulting, and co-author of Mommy Republic: Understanding the Filipino Millennial Moms. Prior to Brandev, Edie was the global consumer and market insight director at Unilever, based in Singapore. In this interview, she shares her insights into the evolving behaviors of Filipino consumers, and how marketers can effectively navigate cultural […]

When we launched the Mansmith Young Market Masters Awards (YMMA) 21 years ago, the intent was deliberate: to recognize leaders early, before success was obvious and before history edited their narratives. Over time, a gap became hard to ignore. Many platforms celebrate breakthroughs and speed. Very few honor endurance, stewardship, and the long arc of leadership. Yet leadership is not a moment; […]

Influence mirrors society. It reflects who we admire, what we value, and—ultimately—who we decide to believe. But the mirror has cracked. Follower counts no longer equal persuasion, and visibility no longer ensures trust. In the Philippines, where pakikisama (social harmony) and hiya (moral restraint) quietly govern social behavior, influence is shifting away from performance and toward participation, from selling to shared meaning. This moment […]

I walked into a meeting with a cup of Zu’s coffee in my hand. It was early December, when Starbucks lines grow longer and planners quietly signal participation in a shared ritual. The person beside me smiled and asked, “Do you like Zu? No Starbucks planner this year?” I laughed and answered honestly. The lines were too long for my […]

Josiah Go features the movers and shakers of the business world and writes about marketing, strategy, innovation, execution and entrepreneurship

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