Last July 12, 2013, seventy CKS College students attended the MarkProf Roadshow at the UST Medicine Auditorium. This event officially kicks off the search for the Top 25 Marketing Leaders who will join the MarkProf Bootcamp 2013.

Applicants shall undergo a stringent screening process of interviews and case studies. Thousands apply for a slot in the Top 25 annually, and only the most promising college students receive this privilege. Interested students may apply through http://markprof.org.

The MarkProf Roadshow started with an orientation about the MarkProf Foundation, Inc. With the goal of developing marketers and leaders who can become catalysts of change in society, the organization was founded by Josiah Go and Diosdado Salvador Jr. From 2004 up to the present, it has already produced 200 alumni who graduated after a 7-week intensive Bootcamp. Among these alumni are CKS College graduates Catherine Lim (MarkProf Batch 6) and Andrew Alianan (MarkProf Batch 7).

The MarkProf Roadshow featured three prominent speakers. The first speaker was Ms. Ma. Fatima Lopez, the brand manager of Mary Kay Inc. Philippines. Her topic was Brand Positioning. She said that positioning is a simple concept, but people seem to have difficulty understanding how powerful it is. Positioning is about owning a part of the consumers’ minds. She emphasized that the brand has to be distinctive, relevant, and appealing to its target audience, like Mary Kay Cosmetics, the tagline of which is “Love your Skin for Life.” Mary Kay positions itself as a direct seller that values relationships and consumers. Ms. Lopez also highlighted the three steps in brand positioning: knowing the company’s target market and competitors and developing fun, fresh, and creative ideas (Frames of Preference); distinguishing between differences and similarities of competitive offerings (Points of Difference/ Parity); and designing effective execution that is crystal clear, consumer-based, and competitive (Brand Mantra). In closing, she emphasized that Brand Positioning is all about building the RIGHT relationship with the RIGHT people.

The second speaker was John Paulo Sta. Ana, the Customer Development Manager at Coca-Cola FEMSA who talked about Coca-Cola Shopper Insights and Retail Trends. He discussed the importance of shoppers’ insights, based on the consumer’s perspective. He shared strategies about how Coke is being successfully retailed in the Philippines. He reiterated that marketers should always begin with the shopper in mind.    

The third speaker was Albert Buddahim, the managing director of Performics Philippines and the ZO Digital Director at Zenith Optimedia Philippines. He discussed the challenges of Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC), and focused on how to gain higher cost efficiencies while at the same time, achieving sale and brand share objectives. Active understanding of the consumer, the company, cash, and category is crucial to successful IMC planning and implementation.

It was an afternoon filled with new insights and learnings for the hundreds of students coming from different colleges and universities nationwide. Additionally, exciting prizes and freebies from the event’s sponsors were distributed to selected attendees.

(Article by Jayzie Meach Brown/ Photo Credit : Allana Ong and Mary Grace Khu)