There are so many ways major retailers selling fast moving consumer products (FMCG) in the Philippines can make money beyond buy and sell. Mansmith conducted interviews with manufacturers on their cost of selling, which revealed a list of at least 30 different charges that are or can be imposed by key retailers one time or another. When introducing new products, […]
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Last July 2012, I was blessed to be invited to speak at both the Asiannovation Conference of the Philippine Marketing Association (PMA), and the Franchise Asia Convention of the Philippine Franchise Association (PFA). I talked about marketing innovation in PMA while I talked about premium branding in PFA. In both talks, though I presented several marketing case studies, there was […]
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 […]
Q1: Decades ago, Goldilocks had popular cake competitors like Rolling Pin, Merced and Joni’s – all of which are no longer active in the market. Giant Jollibee Food Group acquired Red Ribbon in 2005. What has Goldilocks been doing right all these years for it to hold on to market leadership in the cake industry? I believe that the main […]
The more ambitious the strategy, the more dangerous it is to pretend we know exactly how it will succeed. For over three decades of advising business owners, mentoring C-level executives, evaluating turnarounds, and serving on boards, I have seen a recurring pattern: major initiatives rarely fail because leaders lack ambition. They fail because critical assumptions go unchallenged until reality forces […]
On August 27, 2026, I will celebrate 12 years of blogging. When I started JosiahGo.com in 2014, my objective was simple: to share what I was learning and make practical business knowledge more accessible to students, entrepreneurs, managers and business owners in the Philippines. I did not realize then that blogging would also become a record of my own reinvention. […]
Many corporate executives talk about culture, but very few can seamlessly connect deep organizational values with hard, marketing strategy. Unilab President and CEO Sebastian “Backy” Baquiran belongs to that rare breed. In fact, Backy achieved a historic milestone in the Philippine business community by becoming a rare two-time Mansmith awardee. What makes his trajectory fascinating is the order of his […]
Early in my career, I had a routine that I valued deeply. Whenever our schedules allowed, I would ask Dr. Ned Roberto—the legendary marketing research guru who at one time served as our Vice Chair at Mansmith and Fielders—to sit in the back of my seminar. My request was simple: Audit my logic, find the cracks, and give me a […]
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 […]
It’s tempting in business to chase the next campaign, launch a discount, or offer a flash promotion. But often, these are solving symptoms, not solutions, like painting over a crack while ignoring the foundation. In a low-trust economy like the Philippines, this approach is risky. Customers are skeptical. Partners are cautious. And trust, once broken, can take years to rebuild. […]