In my adult life, my curiosity about trust deepened when, at 17, I made a costly mistake. I hired the wrong family driver, based on appearance and a neatly written biodata, without doing any background check. On his first day, he carnapped our car. Fortunately, the police later recovered it in Santa Maria, Bulacan. Looking back, that incident revealed my […]

How do Filipino brands break through the noise and build lasting loyalty in a culture where urgency and ritual coexist? The answer lies in two deeply symbolic marches that shape the Filipino experience: the urgent protest and the enduring pilgrimage. One is loud and immediate, the other slow and reverent. Together, they offer not only insight into the Filipino psyche […]

In the Trust Economy, marketing is no longer just about promoting value, it’s about living it. As we introduced last Friday in the discussion on the Trust Economy Flywheel, today’s Filipino consumers and citizens are reevaluating what they expect from brands and institutions. This follow-up zooms in on one critical principle: Cultural Literacy (Principle #2). At stake is not just […]

Across Manila, Jakarta, and Kathmandu, one force is reshaping markets: public outrage, not just at corrupt politicians, but also at ‘nepo baby’ influencers, entrenched institutions, and once-untouchable brands. In today’s hyperconnected world, trust isn’t given, it’s earned. Lose it, and you lose customers. Scandals involving misused funds, political favoritism, and influencer complicity aren’t just headlines; they’re changing how Filipinos and […]

I never really planned to be a teacher. I was an accidental one. The late Prof. Manny Fernandez, one of the great minds of Philippine marketing, saw me giving a talk (I can’t even remember where), and he told me I should consider teaching. That moment quietly changed the course of my life. Teaching became a calling I didn’t see […]

Early in my career at RFM Corporation, I was assigned the additional responsibility of doing food service sales, a role that combined both sales and brand management. This rare arrangement became a powerful learning opportunity. Managing both areas taught me how sales and marketing must work together and how understanding both offers a strategic edge. Years later, I started a […]

We’re often seduced by data. Charts, dashboards, surveys, and analytics seem like the ultimate way to understand customers. But data alone won’t give you the full picture. It lacks context, can be incomplete or biased, and doesn’t explain the why behind behaviors. Human judgment and interpretation are essential to turn raw data into meaningful insights and decisions. To truly grasp […]

“I’m done hidin’, now I’m shinin’Like I’m born to beWe dreamin’ hard, we came so farNow I believe”  – – Lyrics from “Golden” by Huntr/x Last August, my daughter Tricia Gosingtian approached me with a recommendation: ‘Dad, you have to watch this movie on Netflix. It’s an animated film. Everyone is watching it and dancing to the music!’ As a […]

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

Archives