Q1: Prior to Mondelez, you were with Unilever, first as country brand manager, then regional brand manager, then global brand manager. Can you tell us what were the most challenging parts of each of these brand positions and why? A: At the heart of these roles is the privilege to make a brand more valuable to the business and the […]
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Q1. In your marketing career, what are your top 3 most memorable marketing campaigns which you have initiated? Can you elaborate? A) The Alaska Value Line – During the series of price increases in the mid-2000, our Alaska Evap/SCM line was under siege. It was losing market shares, declining in volume offtake and household penetration. This was our heritage brand! […]
‘Manage change so that change will not manage us’
There is a saying that “If you give a man a hammer, he will see everything as nails”. Similarly, when a person learns about the marketing mix (product, price, place and promotions) as a way to attain marketplace advantage, he may apply it without questioning the bigger picture for validity. My journey in analyzing marketing as a lifelong student continues to allow me to […]
Q1: As a retail expert, who are the top 3 retailers you admire most and why? Locally, Rustan’s, SM, and Bench. These homegrown brands all had humble beginnings and through the years have grown tremendously through constant evolution while remaining true to their brand essence, DNA, and heritage. Rustan’s represents quality, service, and world-class products and experiences. It has defined […]
Q1: What are some of the most often made mistakes companies do in social media marketing? For me, the biggest mistake is mismanagement of expectations. In my experience, most brands use social media to collect fans, and use the number of likes or followers as the metric of success. Then, they evaluate ROI of social media through sales, which in […]
Q1: In the diaper business, you have overtaken P&G in terms of market share nationwide since 2012, how long did it take you to take the lead and what was the tipping point? Can you share the strategy (and phases if any) behind EQ? ECG: It was a long process of adjusting to the needs of the market and to […]
Q1: Congratulations on being the 2014 President of the Philippine Marketing Association. How is marketing an association different (or similar) from marketing a product or a service?
This is continuation of our interview with Universal Robina Corporation’s Vice President-Marketing Edwin Totanes on Launching and Defending New Products. In this second part, Mr. Totanes generously shares about lessons he learned from failures. For Part 1 of his interview, click here Q7: One of your early marketing assignments was as brand manager of Procter and Gamble for Crest. While […]
“Research results should be “used directionally” and not necessarily to be “followed directly” Edwin Totanes Q1: Congratulations on your winning the prestigious Agora Awards for marketing management from the Philippine Marketing Association last 2013. What do you consider are your biggest marketing achievements so far and why? I have selected 3 examples from my previous employment at a) Kraft Foods, Inc.; […]