Ading’s Gourmet Tuyo: A Negrense recipe handed from generations

Ading’s Gourmet Tuyo is not your ordinary gourmet tuyo. Chef April shared the story behind the first shredded gourmet tuyo I have tried. She said that her Lola has always been very hands-on. When they were still little, every time they would harvest watermelons in their farm, her Lola would take out the seeds for them so that they can eat at ease. The same thing goes when they eat tuyo. It was originally her Lola’s recipe and it was always present in their family gatherings. Since her mom loves capers and olives, Chef April tried to add the said ingredients to her Lola’s recipe. Eventually, her friends told her “Why not put it in a bottle and sell it?” That gave birth to Ading’s Gourmet Tuyo. She worked on the product’s packaging and treats that as her main contribution for the coming about of Ading’s Gourmet Tuyo. Chef April is confident enough to say that it doesn’t contain any preservatives.

Being both a Lacson and a Gonzaga, Chef April confessed to be a certified foodie. She owns restaurants where she displays her products. She’s very proud to say that all her products are authentic family recipes. Her latest is the Chorizo de Gonzaga which is her Tita’s recipe.

Ading’s Gourmet Tuyo is now on its 3rd year. You can choose between regular and spicy variants. Chef April suggested ways on how customers can enjoy her Gourmet Tuyo. She said that it’s actually good with pasta, salad, and toasted crostini. However, she still thinks that it’s best with rice – the most Pinoy way of eating it.  Ading’s Gourmet Tuyo can also serve as an appetizer. Chef April said that you can spread it on French bread and add kesong puti for it to be like a Pinoy Canapé.

This is Chef April’s 2nd year in The Negros Trade Fair. She’s very proud of her Gourmet Tuyo which has already won 2 awards. It won the Savor Negrense Award at the Panaad sa Negros Festival 2015 where 19 municipalities and 13 cities joined and only one winner was declared and that is Ading’s Gourmet Tuyo. It was also acknowledged as the grand winner for the deli category of the 26th Bulawan Awards of the Association of Negros Producers in August 2016.

Caress and charm in a bar

Susan Flores, owner of Karissma, treats hers as a millionaire’s business. They’re now on their 5th year in the industry; yet, it’s their first time in the Negros Trade Fair.

Although it may sound ironic, the Yolanda incident in Tacloban paved way for Susan’s business. She has an American friend who gave her a call that time, asking her if she was affected by the typhoon. This friend of hers who’s a chemist and dermatologist in the USA wanted to extend her help to Susan. She gave her a formula in creating chemical-free soaps. Susan said that her friend is a chemist who hates chemicals that’s why she exerted effort in researching for fruits and vegetables in the Philippines which are good for the skin. It was only through Skype where they communicated to produce the soap.

Susan also shared the story behind the name of their brand. She said that during her younger days, it was very easy for her to gather people and she was always told by people that she has charisma. That incident gave her husband gave the idea of naming their brand “Karissma”. At the same time, it also means caress and charm.

Karissma soaps are all natural and handmade. Susan herself is the one who processes them in her small laboratory. The physical appearance of their products proves that they are using natural products. They include fruit and vegetable peelings in the soap.

Susan only started with 3 kinds of soap – banana, radish, and cucumber. Within a year, they were able to come up with more such as guava (anti-bacterial), avocado (moisturizing), charcoal (detoxifying), and many more. Their bestseller is the radish soap which has a bleaching effect. Each of their soap (150 grams) costs 180php.

The owner remains very down to earth. She understands that her business won’t flourish at once. “It’s slowly growing”, she said. Susan has been to many places because of Karissma. She’s been getting invites nationwide.

What’s more inspiring about the owner is she shares her success to other Filipinos. She welcomes distributors. They have packages for resellers, especially OFWs. This is her way of helping other people.

From scrap bottles to riches

Have you ever thought of transforming your used wine and medicine bottles to a home décor or kitchenware? I nearly thought it was impossible until I met Precy Perez, owner of Yssa’s Crafts.

When you walk along the booths of the Negros Trade Fair, Precy’s flattened bottles will surely catch your eyes. In an interview with the owner herself, she revealed that all her products are recycled bottles. She buys them from scrap boys who regularly drop by her house in Bacolod. They get used medicine and wine bottles from dumpsites, hotels, restaurants, and junk shops. These materials undergo a cleaning process and are baked at a high temperature in a ceramic oven.

Back in the day, Precy used to do ceramics and exports them. However, in the year 1999, her sales dropped because the buyers opted to go to China to buy ceramics. In effect, she lost 30 workers and had financial difficulties. Despite this challenge in her life, she continued to sell her products with only 2 workers by her side. 

During a show in SM Megamall, a customer showed her a picture of bottle chimes and asked her if she knew how to do it. Funny thing is she said yes even though she really didn’t. However, since she’s a chemical engineer, she already had an idea on how to do the product. Precy gave it a try and it became a hit when she sold the bottle chimes locally.

During the firing, Precy doesn’t always get the desired shape because the temperature is not uniformed. Because of that, a defect gives birth to other products. Her products now include saucepans, serving dishes, home decors, and bottle chimes – her “golden egg”, she said. Recently, she’s been working on medicine bottles as vases/planters which are orders from the USA.

Precy treats her business as her bread and butter. Although she’s at the peak of her career, she never forgets to share her blessings to others especially to the less fortunate. Her purchasing of the recycled bottles from street children and mothers without income is her way of helping them. She even shared that late at night, these people would knock on her door and beg her to buy the bottles because they haven’t eaten yet. She couldn’t take such kind of situation that’s why she’ll always buy from them regardless of the time of the day.

At present, Precy Perez is the head of the gifts, décor & houseware sector of the 31st Negros Trade Fair. She regularly joins fairs, even international ones like the annual Manila Fame. She’s been receiving orders of her products from countries like Belgium and USA.

She treats her craft as a special gift from God. It was through her business that she was able to redeem the properties of her parents which were mortgaged.

On a personal note, Precy said that she’s very happy with what she’s doing. She has redeemed her confidence because of her growing business. Being an inspiration to aspiring entrepreneurs, she said “Kapag may sipag at tiyaga, may biyaya.”

Pokémon Go Causes Death

On August 24, 2016, the first Pokémon Go related death in Asia took place in Tokushima, Japan.

According to reports, 39-year old farmer Keiji Gooh was playing the augmented reality game while driving on the evening of August 23 and accidentally hit 2 female pedestrians – a 72-year old and a 60-year old. This first one died the following day, while the latter was seriously injured.

Japan’s Jiji Press reported this as the nation's first fatal accident involving a driver playing Pokémon Go while at the wheel. They further revealed that an estimated 80 accidents in Japan have already transpired involving modes of transportation since the app was introduced in the country last month.

As mentioned, this is not the first accident caused by Pokémon Go. In fact, since its launch in July, there have been numerous and continuous reports of traffic violations, violence, crime, and deaths linked to the game all over the globe. Since the gamers are distracted, they somehow leave the real world which makes them inattentive of what’s actually going on around them.

Regardless of the many incidents concerning Pokémon Go, Niantic, the app’s developer, absolved itself from all the possible liabilities through a disclaimer in the app’s terms and conditions. There is also a warning from Niantic that pops up every time the app is opened, reminding the players to always be aware of their surroundings.

While controversies about Pokémon Go continue to surface, authorities worldwide are making vigorous efforts to ensure the safety of the gamers like banning the said game in schools, churches, and other public places. However, Niantic should also address these issues themselves if they want to prolong the game’s success. In reality, there are a couple of positive influences that the game should try to emphasize such as people going outdoors as well as fitness and health.

Filipino Education Supported by NBA Stores Philippines

The Philippines is now home to three NBA Stores located at Glorietta 3, Mega Fashion Hall and TriNoma which are managed by the International Athletic Trading Company, Inc. (IATC). A wide selection of authentic NBA merchandise includes official jerseys, footwear, toys and other collectibles. The NBA Stores carry products from all the 30 NBA teams. They also feature renowned brands such as 2K Sports, Adidas, Spalding, and many more.

Recently, the abovementioned NBA Stores, announced the launch of a retail promotion to support Knowledge Channel Foundation, Inc. (KCFI) in providing quality education to more Filipinos.

Celebrating its 10th year anniversary, NBA Cares, the league’s global social responsibility program, have decided to donate a portion of the NBA Name & Number T-shirt sale proceeds from August 10 to September 13 of this year to KCFI. The proceeds will aid the foundation’s education program which is focused on providing multimedia learning resources for students in grades K-12 and training teachers from public schools in the National Capital Region of Luzon.

KCFI is a non-profit organization that helps empower Filipinos through educational media and is now on its 17th year of establishment. They have been successful in their attempt to provide access to multimedia learning resources to more than 5 million learners in about 6, 000 schools and learning centers all over the Philippines.

Should Pizza Hut Delivery Change Its Hotline Number Now That There is 911?

MANILA, Philippines - Beginning tomorrow, August 1, 2016, President Rodrigo Duterte will be putting in place a national hotline for emergencies.  The number 911 will officially be the national emergency hotline.  The 911 emergency hotline was tested by Interior Secretary Mike Sueño last Thursday, July 21, and replaces the current 117 emergency number.

Beginning August 1, citizens who call 911 will be connected to the Presidential Action Center (PACE).  This number is quite close to the famous Pizza Delivery hotline of Pizza Hut which is 911-1111.

What do you think?  Should Pizza Hut Delivery Change Its Hotline Number Now That There is 911?

Let us hear your comments below.

Digging deeper, “dig.ph 2016”— the country’s biggest digital marketing for SMEs transpires again this July 13

Last April 2015, a conglomeration of prominent companies and leading personalities in the field of digital marketing like Google Philippines, GroupM digital, Adobo Connection, Diamond Rent-A-Car, and others assembled at Shangri-La Makati for the country’s first ever DigPH. Participants found attending the event worth it as they learned many relevant topics and issues regarding mobile and digital marketing shift, which were all significant to keep their businesses afloat. 

Because of the resounding success of last year’s event, DigPH will be expected to transpire again into the scene. AdSpark in partnership with Globe myBusiness will relive “dig.ph 2016”, the country’s largest digital and mobile marketing summit for SME’s, again on July 13, Wednesday at Crowne Plaza, Ortigas, with the theme “Big digital ideas for small to medium businesses”.

The registration will start at 8:30 am as the program will run from 9:30am to 5:00pm. The key topics and exciting activities will revolve around significant trends in today’s mobile and digital marketing such as learning how to maximize social media, venturing into e-commerce, being present in digital moments that matter, and optimizing backend processes for growing business. As expected, this year’s “dig.ph” will have premier personalities with notable contribution in the industry who will share their insights and important advices to attain success in mobile and digital marketing.

An onsite registration costs 1, 500php/pax, but heads up especially for those who missed last year’s “DigPH” because the event offers an early bird promo until July 11, 2016 for only 1000php/pax. Slots are limited, so register now! For interested participants, visit their website at www.dig.ph or their Facebook page at DIGPH for more details.

Omnicom Media Group Tops Media Lions Winners List

CANNES, France (June 24, 2016) –   For the fourth time in five years, Omnicom Media Group (OMG), the media services division of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC), tops the list of media agency holding company winners at the annual Cannes Festival of Creativity, with its  agencies OMD and PHD taking home a total of 15  Media Lions. 

 OMD was the most awarded agency network in the category, earning a total of 11 Media Lions – one gold, three silver and seven bronze; OMD was also the credited partner for the Grand Prix winners in the PR, Creative Effectiveness and Mobile categories.  PHD earned one gold, one silver and two bronze Media Lions. 

The combined performance from OMD and PHD propelled Omnicom Media Group to the top of the category, winning more than twice as many Media Lions as the next most awarded media holding company.  

OMD Wins Span Globe and Categories

OMD’s 11 Media Lions were awarded for work across a broad spectrum of client categories - including automotive, CPG, financial services, media, retail, sports goods, and technology - submitted by OMD agencies across the globe.  Winning agencies, clients and campaigns included: 

 GOLD LION
• OMD Dominican Republic –  “Ending the Silence” campaign for La Sirena

SILVER LION
• OMD UK -  “Humans” campaign for Channel 4 (2)
• OMD Dominican Republic – Ending the Silence campaign for La Sirena

BRONZE LION
• OMD Italy – “Business Booster” for Renault
• OMD Sweden – “Slow Down GPS” campaign for IF Insurance
• OMD UAE – “Champions Huack”  campaign for Go Sport
• OMD UAE – “I Can Teach You Too” for Dubai Cares
• OMD UK –  “Hunted” campaign for Channel 4
• MGOMD – “Campaign to Combat Loneliness” for John Lewis
• OMD USA – “Intel Winter Games” for Intel


Strong Showing for PHD APAC Agencies

Three of PHD’s four wins were claimed by APAC agencies, including a  Gold Media Lion won by PHD New Zealand for DB Breweries “Brewtroleum” campaign; a Bronze won by PHD Australia for Australia and New Zealand Banking Group’s “ Smart Girls – Equal Future” campaign; and aBronze won by PHD India for Hindustan Unilever’s Lo Kar Lo Bat” campaign.  PHD UK took a Silver Lion for Sainsbury’s “Sharing the Gift of Reading at Christmas” campaign. 

 “The scale and scope of Omnicom Media Group’s  win at Cannes this year proves  that relentless focus on excellence, innovation and talent always achieves results,” says Daryl Simm, CEO of Omnicom Media Group Worldwide, “not only in terms of industry recognition, but most importantly, in driving business growth for our clients.” 

 About Omnicom Media Group

Omnicom Media Group (OMG) is the media services division of Omnicom Group Inc.(NYSE: OMC), the leading global advertising, marketing and corporate communications company, providing services to over 5,000 clients in more than 100 countries. Omnicom Media Group includes the full service networks OMD, PHD and Hearts &Science; the Annalect global data and analytics platform; the Accuen global programmatic buying platform; global performance marketing agency Resolution Media; as well as a number of specialty media communications companies.

Christie showcases applications, experiences and innovations for location-based entertainment at Asian Attractions Expo 2016

SHANGHAI – (June 14, 2016) – Christie®, a leader in creating and delivering the world’s best visual and audio experiences, is showcasing a range of innovative digital applications and experiences that are ideal for location-based entertainment at the Asian Attractions Expo 2016, taking place at the Shanghai New International Expo Center, June 14-16.

At booth no. 1182, visitors can learn more about how unique forms of visual technologies are designed and deployed by entertainment designers, operators and owners to create the most exciting experiences of the future. They can also interact with digital specialists from Christie 360, a highly specialized team dedicated to creating high-impact experiential media and interactive multiplatform applications suited for location-based entertainment venues such as theme parks, museums and tourist attractions.



“Christie has evolved from its roots as a pure engineering and product-driven organization to one that delivers large-scale visual experiences. We possess the technology and expertise to help industry partners and clients define digital media strategies and deliver next-generation installations that deliver superior ROI,” said Denys Lavigne, Senior Director, Global Christie 360. “From 3D mapping on art, interactive architectural media and VR applications, we look forward to demonstrating how Christie’s visual technologies, combined with creativity and innovation, can lead to new trends that enhance the visitor experience at large-scale venues.”

Since its inception, Christie 360 has worked on projects around the world and pushed the boundaries in how branded digital media can be used in different type of environments. These include a spectacular projection mapping on glass art in collaboration with renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly for Barneys New York, a large gesture interactive video wall for Gateway Cascades Casino in Canada, and an immersive corridor & experiential hub for cinema operator Cinemaxx in Indonesia.

“Christie has the capability and solutions to deliver powerful visual experiences. Our avant-garde showcase developed by Christie 360 at this year’s Asian Attractions Expo is a case in point,” commented Jason Pei, Deputy General Manager, Christie China. “From smaller-scale events and environments to large venues, shows and attractions, our reliable end-to-end solutions and services are well placed to ignite visitors’ senses, assist entertainment destinations to draw repeat visitors and entice new guests.”

Lin Yu, Vice President, Christie Asia Pacific, added, “Our participation in the Asian Attractions Expo is both timely and essential, given that major theme park openings and rising investment will continue to drive the market over the next five years and annual attendance is anticipated to reach 540 million in 2019. With our strong R&D culture and a history of innovation, we are well-positioned to leverage on the rapid growth of this industry by constantly pushing the boundaries of visual technologies to help our partners create and deliver the world’s best shared experiences.”

Christie MicroTiles​ making an impact at the Show

Over at Falcon’s Treehouse’s and the Themed Entertainment Association’s (TEA) booths at No. 1414 and No. 2176 respectively, Christie is featuring an array of its award-winning Christie® MicroTiles® – the ultimate digital canvas for delivering amazing image quality, and vibrant, true-to-life colors in almost any shape and size. Arranged in a 50-unit configuration at Falcon’s Treehouse’s booth, and a four tall and six wide array at the TEA booth, Christie MicroTiles display a variety of highly engaging content that captivate visitors and turn heads.

Renowned for their ability to maintain color depth, high contrast and high brightness at 3200K color temperature, Christie MicroTiles deliver ultra-high resolution images and lifelike colors in a variety of entertainment applications.

Organized by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), the annual Asian Attractions Expo is the region’s premier global conference and trade show for the attractions industry. An estimated 7,000 industry professionals from 65 countries are expected to take part in the event, with a trade show floor showcasing products and services from more than 300 companies across all sectors in the attractions realm.

About Christie

Christie Digital Systems USA, Inc. is a global visual and audio technologies company and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ushio, Inc., Japan, (JP:6925). Consistently setting the standards by being the first to market some of the world’s most advanced projectors and complete system displays, Christie is recognized as one of the most innovative visual technology companies in the world. From retail displays to Hollywood, mission critical command centers to classrooms and training simulators, Christie display solutions and projectors capture the attention of audiences around the world with dynamic and stunning images. Visit www.christiedigital.com.

Christie Celebrates Ten Years of Environmental Initiatives

Environmental programs includes major projects to reduce waste, energy consumption

CYPRESS, Calif. – (April 22, 2016) – Christie®, a leader in creating and sharing the world's best visual and audio experiences, is proudly celebrating the 10-year anniversary of its Environmental Management System (EMS). The system, based on ISO 14001, focuses on building and continually improving Christie’s environmental performance.


The EMS encompasses numerous environmental programs including waste reduction, recycling, water and electricity reduction, facility and operational improvements, with a significant net CO2 reduction.

Chairman, president and CEO Jack Kline said, “We’ve introduced numerous programs to reduce our carbon footprint. These initiatives are an investment in the future and, what is unquestionable, is the ultimate impact on the environment. I want Christie to set an example for other companies; we take this seriously and don’t intend on slowing down.”

Initiatives include the installation of 2,190 solar panel modules on the Ushio (Christie’s parent company) and Christie office buildings in Cypress, California. The panels produce 833,000 kWh annually, reducing CO2 emissions by 814,807 pounds and power consumption by up to 28 percent. Christie MicroTiles® installations in the lobbies of Ushio and Christie (Camden Drive) display the amount of energy that the solar panels produce in real-time.

At Christie’s manufacturing headquarters in Kitchener, Ontario, a 35,000 square foot warehouse was converted to office space using environmentally conscious techniques aligned with LEED Gold. The space includes daylight harvesting, energy conserving lighting with high-efficiency HVAC automation, sound masking and carefully selected interior materials. Overall, environmental related projects in Christie’s Kitchener facility resulted in a 47 percent decrease in natural gas consumption and a 27 percent decrease in water consumption between 2004 and 2015. The facility also boasted a 60 percent waste diversion improvement over the 10-year period.


In Cypress, Christie renovated its Network Operation Center (NOC) with refurbished data center equipment, including computer room cooling units and battery backup and flooring from renewable resources, which also helps maintain a low-static environment.

Employee engagement with Christie’s environmental programs has been and continues to be a critical success factor. “There is always a tendency to believe that the efforts of individuals are insignificant, but working together with everyone engaged creates a meaningful result,” says CEO Jack Kline.

In 2014, Christie employees initiated a project to reduce the amount of LDPE#4 foam sent out as waste. Staff worked with the primary packaging supplier to pick-up foam used in raw material packaging from Christie for processing back into a raw material form. This allowed Christie to be among the first manufacturing companies in the region to remove this product from its waste stream.

“When it comes to the environment, we only have one planet and it’s up to all of us to take care of it,” says Kline. “Ten years ago, when we started our environmental management program, we took this very seriously; we wanted all of our employees to be a part of it. To do so, we had to create a vision, and that was to constantly improve what we’re doing to preserve the environment.”

Find out more about Christie’s environmental initiatives.


About Christie®

Christie Digital Systems USA, Inc. is a global visual and audio technologies company and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ushio, Inc., Japan, (JP:6925). Consistently setting the standards by being the first to market some of the world’s most advanced projectors and complete system displays, Christie is recognized as one of the most innovative visual technology companies in the world. From retail displays to Hollywood, mission critical command centers to classrooms and training simulators, Christie display solutions and projectors capture the attention of audiences around the world with dynamic and stunning images. Visit www.christiedigital.com.


“Christie” is a trademark of Christie Digital Systems USA, Inc., registered in the United States of America and certain other countries. DLP® is a registered trademark of Texas Instruments.

Efficascent Oil and Shoestring Budget Marketing

Many of us by now know what is Efficascent Oil and Omega Pain Killer, brands that are not even Manila-based but we never knew about it nor did not even care where they were made. All we know is that they come with top of mind recall whenever such products against aches and pains are needed by us or by family members.

For example, Efficascent Oil has been around for 60 years. The writer cannot recall the last time he has seen a billboard, heard a radio commercial and can only recall a TV spot more than 10 years ago. But why has Efficascent Oil managed to hold on to its market position for so long on a Marketing and Advertising “Non-Strategy”?

Mr. Stanley Uang , VP-Marketing of International Pharmaceutical thus answers,  “The most central to this philosophy of allocating a shoestring budget is to make every peso count. Whether it is in negotiating with media networks in providing more spots or to include creative executions in addition to the spots, or making those few spots count with good marketing content or an endorser who fits the positioning of your product or your communication, or to be very strategic in your communication in terms of target audience. All these will make your advertising pesos go a long way.”

But again, the strategy for Efficascent Oil is that on its first 20 years, it was marketed as medicine but using massage as the delivery system. Those who are averse to taking pills would rather use a non-invasive form of therapy. Also, by using this method, Efficascent Oil was able to widen its distribution. As mentioned above, it is not a Manila-based company. It is based in Cebu, the distribution phase using its “massage therapy” marketing came mostly by word of mouth from users to new customers. Now on its next 20 years, it has now gained a name brand of its own and is easily differentiated from other “me too” brands and it has 60 years of existence to fall back on.

It must also be noted that geographically, being based in Cebu makes IPI centrally located in the Philippines and that makes the company easier to distribute and market. Thus, a Shoestring Marketing Strategy is makes sense given the factors cited.

Tamang Panahon: AlDub Lessons in Marketing Strategy

On October 24, 2015, the AlDub Tamang Panahon Benefit Presentation garnered 41 million tweets. It was a world record that surpassed the previous record held by the World Cup Finals between Germany and Brazil. Add to that the phenomenal sales of McDonalds’ Chicken a la King meal and sales of McDonalds rose 470%.

This is a confluence of traditional media and new media (social media). It marks a paradigm shift in marketing and advertising. It also points to the Law of Marginal Utility wherein a tired old formula although working cannot beat a new idea. That Eat Bulaga had the “Fingerspitzengefuhl”  for the served, unserved and importantly the underserved segments of the market was proven correct.

Despite critics who would say that those who participated in the tweets had nothing better to do and were the unproductive sectors of Philippine society, Twitter unveiled its Twitter Map and the results disclosed that only 33.33% of the tweets emanated from the Philippines. That 66.66% of the tweets came from all around the world wherein many OFWs were based.

Eat Bulaga hit the jackpot on this one. In fact, it had even anthropological underpinnings. Two factors can be gleaned from this.

1.    OFWs can relate to the split screen relationship. They are in a relationship of that kind every day. The advent of technology now allows them real-time conversations with their loved ones in the home islands. But they are limited to such a 2 dimensional interaction. The frustration of not touching the loved ones is no stranger to OFWs

2.    Values. That the corny way that Lola Nidora would use traditional values in restricting the relationship might be a hindrance in the observation of most the viewers but it also harks back to something that was hopefully not lost. The Filipino has a dichotomy in himself that he will embrace new notions and modes but at the same time, when loved ones and family is the object, the Filipino tends to adhere to traditional values as a form of security. To have these traditions presented in a manner by the reverse and mutant reincarnation of the Three Stooges (JoWaPao) struck a nerve in the Filipino.

The current success of AlDub not only in entertainment but also in marketing, advertising and promotion can be likened to a social organism driven by the confluence of the factors mentioned above.

The following is an analysis of Josia Go and was published in the PDI on October 23, 2015, a day before the record breaking event that had even international marketers and advertisers observing the so called phenomenon. My own words end here.

The “AlDub” phenomenon has attracted many new viewers to the 36-year-old noontime TV show Eat Bulaga since July 2015.

Kantar Media Philippines said viewers nearly doubled to at least 4.8 million by September 26, 2015.

“AlDub” is a play on the names of celebs Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza, better known as “Yaya Dub.”

They rose to fame as a love team in the “kalye-serye (street series)” segment of the TV show.

The unconventional “antagonist” in their love story is the conservative Lola Nidora, whose take on the traditional Filipino values provide another comedic backdrop.

The formula has created a new fusion category of entertainment with values education.
Marketers can learn many lessons from the phenomenon:

1.    Are you trying to be unique in the same way?

Strategy is a choice. Before making a marketing strategy, the marketer must be aligned with the business strategy and recommend changes to management.

Many firms operate the same way. They follow the same logic based on best practices and benchmarking.

Best practices, however, are good only until the next practices are discovered. Benchmarking, on the other hand, makes you look more like your competitor.
Interestingly, Eat Bulaga did not follow the traditional ways in creating “Aldub”—which are to hire fairer-skinned celebrities, get sexy backup dancers, or create humor that may be potentially offensive.

In many ways, competition tries to be unique in the same way by following the logic of the industry. Eat Bulaga was courageous enough to inject values education to a noontime show.

2.    Is your unserved market bigger than your served market?

Kantar Media reported TV ownership in the Philippines stood at 15.5 million households. In July 2015, Eat Bulaga and Showtime had 2.5 million and 2.9 million households viewing them, respectively.

By Oct. 3, 2015, Eat Bulaga began to take the lead with 4.3 million households viewing, while Showtime’s dropped to 2.5 million.

A look at past data from market research leader TNS revealed that among teenagers and tweens, Showtime was the favorite TV show in 2011 among 30% of respondents versus only 8% for Eat Bulaga.

What happened in between is a very interesting case study of a lesser known strategy practice—the market-driving strategy.

Thus, the marketer needs to consider ways to attract the bigger unserved and underserved markets. Instead of doing the usual market-driven strategy that focuses on simply satisfying customers in the served market, the marketer needs to expand by exploring from a set of nine potential unserved and underserved clusters, collectively known as “New Demand Wheel” in Mansmith’s Market-Driving Strategy program.

3.    Do you understand the pain points of the unserved and underserved markets?

Many marketers are in love with their usage, attitude and image (UAI) annual ritual, but that is not the right source for the market-driving strategy.

Blame it on inadequate key performance indicators (KPI) that marketers are so engrossed with to keep their preferred-brand status.

Just look at the multi-vitamins category. They started by giving out one piece free, and then later, two pieces extra for a one week’s supply.

Brand preference is important, but it can’t be sustained without attaining brand relevance. The latter focuses on the right target market and their unmet needs.

The common factor in the unmet needs of noontime shows appears to be the thirst for clean, wholesome family fun.

4.    What new truths do you have that can help create a new category beyond mere brand-switching tactics?

Different categories now exist as Eat Bulaga has repositioned itself not just to entertain but to introduce values.

Companies can, of course, create more game-changing ideas before competition catches up. After all, ABS-CBN is not known to be a passive competitor as evidenced by their leadership in the primetime.

To create innovation, solving pain points is basic, but solving it in a pioneering way makes all the difference.

Eventually, even the served market patronizing competitive offerings would be willing to shift.

5.    What should you stop spending on that does not really add value?

The key to a pioneering market-driving idea is to challenge existing practices.

Why should a TV show hire celebrities instead of ordinary-looking people? Why is trash talk needed instead of encouragement?

Simply look at the list of what made winners win in the served market and begin from there.

Starbucks made its customer area bigger by at least 30% by removing the kitchen, an important part in the restaurant industry. Expertise in the served market can be a barrier to thinking out-of-the-box because it’s hard to stop practicing something that has been assumed as a given.

6.    Have you exhausted your options in formulating your strategy?

7.   The principle of selectivity is telling the marketer not to fall in love with the same marketing plan over and over again.

If Eat Bulaga creates a Twitter campaign, should its competitor have a counter campaign? If Eat Bulaga has a social media personality, should competition create one, too?

An inquiry with top executives of top retailers in the Philippines showed only a handful of their suppliers have category-growth strategies during business reviews. On the other hand, 99% have brand-growth plans based on brand-switching tactics.

This has become so bad that in many companies, marketing is actually no more than a promotions department. They forget that opportunity-seeking is the first step of the marketing management process.

In order for marketers to be more strategic, their existing market-driven world view must be balanced with a newer, market-driving strategy perspective through a fourth KPI—market penetration. This new KPI will create a longer-term view in the marketer’s orientation.

It’s time for marketers to go back and re-learn marketing. Remember, facts in a market-driven strategy are merely assumptions in market-driving.

(Josiah Go is chairman and chief marketing strategist of marketing training and advocacy firm Mansmith and Fielders Inc. He will be conducting the 28th Market-Driving Strategy executive bootcamp on Nov 25-26, 2015 to help marketers learn what has not been taught in schools. Follow his blog at www.josiahgo.com. He can be contacted at josiah@mansmith.net)

Say I do to Bridestory

A Southeast Asian company is taking the wedding industry by storm. Using technology to their advantage, Bridestory connects wedding professionals to couples across the globe in the most convenient way possible. It is the leading wedding marketplace in the region.

“Wedding vendors are very good at what they do, however, not all of them can market their brands in an appropriate way, which is an important factor for success. Bridestory is here to solve that problem,” said Kevin Mintaraga, Chief Executive Officer of Bridestory.

The platform works both as an inspiration site and a directory of wedding professionals. Through Bridestory, couples can get inspirations from a catalogue of works accomplished by professionals. Bridestory also enables wedding professionals to expand their reach by providing an avenue for couples around the world to contact them easily.

After launching in January 2014, Bridestory has garnered the trust of couples and vendors in its home country, Indonesia, as well as from neighbours such as Singapore and Australia.

Over 15,000 vendors from 39 countries, including 12,000 hailing from the Southeast Asian region, are doing business with the help of Bridestory. Vendors are categorized based on their expertise, be it dress and attire or photography, among others.

Bridestory already has 200 local vendors shortly after launching their Philippine website (www.bridestory.com.ph) last August. 

“Bridestory has a good reputation overseas for featuring the best wedding inspiration for readers and serving as a channel for different suppliers to feed the needs of particular clients,” said Sheena Caburog of Mayad Studios, who signed up in August.

”We expect for Bridestory to continue upholding the same here in the Philippines, inspiring couples to get the best for the best days of their lives,” Caburog added.

Mayad Studios have been commissioned to photograph weddings around the world including ones in Fiji, Africa, India and London among others.

Bridestory is the right partner for vendors aiming to seize the opportunities of the growing digital market, adds Mintaraga.

“We signed up with Bridestory because of the market and its potential. We don’t usually join bridal fairs so we only get to promote online,” said Chyv Reyes of MangoRed, a photography studio in the Philippines.

MangoRed photographed the weddings of Kitchie Nadal and Carlos Lopez and Iya Villania and Drew Arellano.

According to Similarweb, a traffic estimator tool, Bridestory has become the most visited wedding website in Southeast Asia by August 2015, with more than 500,000 visits per month.

A tech company at its core, Bridestory provides their vendors with invaluable electronic data.

“We give real time leads with contact and measurable marketing. We have experts on digital marketing and we invest on optimizing the vendor’s online presence via digital marketing tools,” said Mintaraga.

The company has just launched their very own vendor app, Bridestory Pro, which enables vendors to manage and promote their business in Bridestory through mobile devices.

Bridestory Pro allow vendors to view their profile statistics, receive notifications regarding inquiries from users, manage such queries, manage their subscription, and update their business profile information.

With Bridestory, vendors can promote their products globally and receive inquiries from prospective clients. Vendors will be able to self-upload and update their portfolios to the site. In addition, there is a vendor tagging feature with which vendors can ‘tag’ others who they collaborated with on a project.

“Bridestory is a great platform because when couples find something, they can easily see the vendor in the tag and they can connect with them,” said Reyes.

Bridestory also owns an international blog and a social media network with a global audience of more than 2 million. Wedding inspirations submitted by both couples and vendors are featured daily in these channels.

Weddings are becoming more “imaginative, creative and personal” all at once said Caburog. Through Bridestory, vendors can show couples their unique touch.

With Bridestory, wedding professionals can help more couples around the world make their special day, the best there is.

Christie India Celebrates Opening of New Expanded Facility in Bangalore

BANGALORE, India – (August 17, 2015) – Christie®, a global visual technology company, is pleased to announce the opening of its expanded facility in India, which was officially inaugurated at an event attended by customers and business partners in the country, as well as senior members of the Christie management team on August 14.

The reception area of Christie India's new facility

Located in the International Technology Park in Bangalore, a major IT hub in India’s Silicon Valley, the new premises will provide a superior level of service and support to Christie’s clients and partners in India, which clearly reflects Christie’s ongoing commitment to the Indian market, which has seen tremendous growth and potential in recent years.

The reception area of Christie India’s new facility
Occupying over 13,500 square feet, Christie India’s new home is three times larger than its former premises situated within the same industrial park. It hosts a vast area devoted to warehousing, a conference room with full AV facilities, “Inspire, Create, Experience” (I.C.E) showrooms for displaying Christie’s latest technologies and staging live demos, a full-fledged service center, as well as a clean room for performing cleaning and repairs of light engines for cinema projectors. This makes Christie India the first office in the Asia Pacific region to be equipped with a clean room facility.

Among the products on display in the I.C.E showrooms are the Christie® MicroTiles®, Christie® Entero™ HB 67-inch display cubes, Christie Phoenix video wall controllers, Christie FHD552-X HD LCD panels, Christie QuadHD84 LCD panel, and the Christie HD14K-M 3DLP® projectors driven by the Christie Spyder X20 video processor. In addition, Christie’s state-of-the-art digital cinema projectors, crafted and built for entertainment environments, will be available for demonstrations. The showcased products will be refreshed on a regular basis so that customers can experience the latest and most up-to-date visual solutions.

Rajesh Patkar, Deputy General Manager of Christie
India (left) showing guests around the I.C.E. showrooms

“I would like to congratulate Christie India on the official opening of its new and bigger facility. India is one of our key markets in Asia and the new office will help to expand our presence and deepen our synergistic relationships with our local partners and customers in India,” said Lin Yu, vice president, Christie Asia Pacific. “We have seen significant growth in the Indian market and there’s continued strong potential for our full spectrum of comprehensive visual solutions. As a leader with more than 85 years of experience in the visual industry, we are definitely well-prepared to support the growth in the Indian market.”

Projection mapping demonstration in the I.C.E
showroom using two Christie HD14K-M projectors

Michael Bosworth, general manager, Christie India, added, “The opening of our new facility marks a new milestone for Christie in India. It represents our continued and sustained efforts in staying ahead of the competition and constantly meeting the needs of all our customers and partners who have supported us over the years. With the bigger and better facilities for sales, servicing and warehousing, I’m confident that we can provide better response and assistance to all our customers on technical, sales and related issues in a shorter turnaround time.”

Christie has had a strong presence in the Indian market for more than 10 years. Working with its established partner network, Christie India has accomplished a number of firsts in the visual solutions industry. It is the first company to offer 20,000-lumen high-brightness projectors for sale in India, and the first and only company to date to accomplish fixed-installed video mapping projects in the country.

Among its list of widely-acclaimed projects include the Old Fort and Guru Tegh Bahadur Memorial Park in Delhi, the brilliant projection mapping performance on the facades of Jodphur’s renowned Umaid Bhawan Palace, and the deployment of close to 200 Christie Roadster Series projectors for last year’s general elections, which was the largest deployment of Christie projectors for a single event in India to date. Today, Christie India is the leading player in high brightness rental staging market in India.


About Christie®

Christie Digital Systems USA, Inc. is a global visual and audio technologies company and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ushio, Inc., Japan, (JP:6925). Consistently setting the standards by being the first to market some of the world’s most advanced projectors and complete system displays, Christie is recognized as one of the most innovative visual technology companies in the world. From retail displays to Hollywood, mission critical command centers to classrooms and training simulators, Christie display solutions and projectors capture the attention of audiences around the world with dynamic and stunning images. Visit www.christiedigital.com. 


“Christie” is a trademark of Christie Digital Systems USA, Inc., registered in the United States of America and certain other countries. DLP® is a registered trademark of Texas Instruments


For more information contact:
CHAN Tsung Yi
Public Relations Manager
Asia Pacific  
Phone: + 65 6877 8793  
Email: tsungyi.chan@christiedigital.com

GLOBALTRONICS Launches the 3rd National Digital Arts Awards

Mandaluyong City (August 11, 2015) – Globaltronics officially launched the National Digital Arts Awards (NDAA) 2015 under the theme #DigitalPinoyAko last August 7 at 500 Shaw Zentrum Events Pavilion. About 600 people mostly students, media agencies, corporate and marketing executives, and sponsors attended the kick-off party.

The event featured three of the country’s top disk jockeys: DJ Jet Boado, DJ Callum David, and DJ Tom Taus. The party offered a toast to the rise of digital arts in the country with open bar for everyone. All the guests were treated to an exciting array of entertainment and surprises. 

 “We want to give way to all the students who dream to be part of the digital arts community in the country. This is their chance to highlight their talents in creating works using rich digital media. We believe that this is the best time for them to join the awards because this is the biggest NDAA so far” said Nato Agbayani, COO of Globaltronics. NDAA is an advocacy of Globaltronics that aims to highlight the skills and talents of digital artists in the country. 

Watch out for the NDAA2015 Visayas & Mindanao Road Show in the following areas:
- August 20-21 – NDAA Caravan at Geeks on a Beach Startup Event, Boracay

- August 21-23 – NDAA Caravan at Outdoor Advertising Association of the Philippines  

(OAAP) National Summit 2015, Davao City

- September 1 – Visayas Launch, Cebu City

- September 8 – Mindanao Launch, Davao City

The National Digital Arts Awards 2015 #DigitalPinoyAko is now open for entries in digital print and motion graphic from Filipino students nationwide. Deadline for submission of entries is until October 16. A total of 1 million of cash and prizes is up for grabs in this year’s edition of the NDAA.  The Awards Night will be held on January 15, 2016 at the Newport Performing Arts Theater, Resorts World Manila, in Pasay City. Aspiring participants can download the full mechanics at their official website, ndaa.globaltronics.net. For more details, follow the NDAA at Facebook: www.facebook.com/NDAAPhilippines and Twitter: NDAAPhilippines.

Contact: 
Bernie Faustine D. Brijuega
bbrijuega@globaltronics.net
0977-3718198

PHD Launches Book on the Impact of Artificial Intelligence

PHD has launched its latest publication Sentience: The Coming AI Revolution and the Implications for Marketing, looking at the impact that AI will have upon the world of marketing.

According to the agency’s worldwide CEO, Mike Cooper, “The impact of AI will result in a radical
reorganisation of advertising and marketing. AI applications will be largely ad-supported, meaning
that marketing will be one of the first disciplines disrupted by AI. In the future, brands will be
marketing to an algorithm, not directly to consumers”.

“Artificial Intelligence will be one of the most transformative technologies the world has ever seen, a
new utility that uses the data from billions of people and objects to perform tasks, provide services
and adapt and learn as it does so. Marketing and communications won’t be spectators to this greatest
show on earth – they will be transformed by it. In Sentience, PHD again explores how technological
advancement will create tantalising possibilities for marketers and agencies. Our algorithms are set to
wake up – get ready to say hello,” said Chris Stephenson, PHD’s APAC Head of Strategy and Planning.

Speaking about the release of the book, Cooper continues, “In Sentience, we have tried to peer
beyond what we know. To scope out a commercially realistic view on the potential products we will
be using and the advertising and data models that will likely support them”.

Sentience provides a comprehensive history of AI – what it is, where it started and the road leading to
today - and builds a picture of ‘the future of intelligence’, offering a peek into the AI-driven world of
2029 and the implications of AI enabled marketing.

The book explores the increasing role that ‘sentient’ Virtual Personal Assistants (VPA’s) will play in our lives, with many of our purchasing choices being made for us, meaning brands will have to adapt to reach consumers.

The book was previewed at last month’s Cannes Lions Festival to coincide with PHD’s keynote seminar, which saw guest speaker Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, give his views on the impact that AI will have on society and business.

Sir Tim Berners-Lee joins leading figures such as Stephen Hawking, Elon Musk, Bill Gates and Steve Wozniak who have recently given their views on the impact that AI will have, which according to Stephen Hawking, “would be the biggest event in human history (and)… might also be the last, unless we learn how to avoid the risks".

Speaking at Cannes Lions, Sir Berners-Lee asserted that "to be part of the business world, you need
to put data out there", seeing a future where artificial intelligence drives the decisions in major
corporations. He dismissed the clichéd view of physical robots running the world, suggesting instead
that artificial intelligence will actually comprise businesses driven by algorithmic decisions as data
becomes free and open to use. He envisaged robot holding companies that could move and make
investment decisions based on data and algorithms - and without human input.

However, Berners-Lee warned that businesses would be left behind unless they started actively
putting data out onto the web, as a step up from simply creating web pages to push products.
Berners-Lee was positive about open data and AI's impact on business on society, particularly in health
and wellbeing. But he warned that there was a "red line".
Sentience is available to purchase from Amazon, the iBookstore and Google Play, with all proceeds
going to UNICEF.

For more information please contact:
Arun Saha arundhati.saha@OmnicomMediaGroup.com / +65 68766809
Avril Canavan Avril.canavan@phdmedia.com/ +44 (0) 7584680100
Vicky Bloyce Vicky.bloyce@phdmedia.com / +44 (0) 7841 162476

About PHD Worldwide
PHD Worldwide is known globally as an innovator in communications planning and buying across
broadcast, print, digital, mobile, social and emerging media. Founded in London in 1990 as the first
planning-led media agency, PHD is built on a culture of thought leadership, innovation and creativity,
with a philosophy of “Finding a Better Way.” PHD is one of the world’s fastest growing and most
awarded media and communication agencies, with over 3,000 staff working in over 80 offices
worldwide.

PHD was named ‘Media Network of the Year 2014’ by Spikes, Cristal and Campaign Asia as well as
ranked 1st for Creativity in the International Media Image Survey (i-MIS), 2nd most awarded media
agency globally by The Directory’s ‘Big Won’ rankings. PHD’s work for Unilever also took the top two spots in the Warc 100 list of the world’s best marketing campaigns.

The PHD network is part of the Omnicom Media Group (www.omnicommediagroup.com), a division
of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC)
www.phdmedia.com

TogethER Makes OMD Philippines

Pursuant to its drive of delivering world-class integrated communications across multi-media platforms, Adweek’s 2014 Global Agency of the Year, OMD, recently launched its “TogethER Tour” or simply, the “ER Tour”, to help engage and excite every talent in all APAC markets this year.

As the “ER Agency”, OMD believes in a culture and community that constantly challenges itself to grow. There is no motion, no improvement, and no innovation in being the first, the biggest, or the strongest. This award-winning agency continually strives to be faster, bigger, and stronger.TogethER, OMD talents will grow, accomplish, and win more throughout 2015.  

Last May 19, it was OMD Philippines’ turn to experience the ER tour. OMD Chief Brand Officer Worldwide, Andrew Lazzaro, and OMD CEO APAC, Steve Blakeman, together with the whole OMD PH team, shared a day of fun, learning, and elevating the OMD PH culture. The half-day session was conducted to harness the creativity of OMD PH team to further define the unique internal “ER” positioning of its Manila office.

After Lazzarobriefed the PH team about the ER experienceof some OMD markets across the region like Hong Kong, Singapore, and India, Blakeman co-facilitated the workshop. OMD PH team came up with three strategic ER objectives to pursue this year. These were “LaughtER,BravER, and WinnER”. All OMD PH talents were in unison in saying that they wanted to make their work place a more enjoyable and conducive site for professional development filled with laughtERs. More even agreed that they would be bravERin crafting highly creative, innovative,and effective media and marketing solutions, completely aligned on the mandate of the region and the global network. Hence, strengthening each OMD PH talent’s positioning as a winnER, indeed, in every way possible of addressing the specific needs of each clientele.

Blakeman enthused, “We had a fantastic session in Manila! It was the epitome of what ER is all about. Having lots of fun and great interaction during the session is testament to the fact that you, OMD Manila, chose wisely what your ER stands for.” While Mary Buenaventura, CEO of Omnicom Media Group Philippines states that, "The ER Agency” culture is a testament of OMD’s commitment to set new rules, new values in our evolving industry and our vision to become our client’s most valued partner.”  Likewise, OMD PH General Manager, Carla Cifra, confidently affirmed, “It was an inspiring and awesome experience for all of us and most especially, very helpful in realizing our goals – be braver, be winners, and be a family and a team fueled with laughter.”  

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