Last July 25, 2013, CKS College Marketing students took part in the StratMark conference at the Cuneta Astrodome. The said annual conference was organized by the Philippine Marketing Association, in cooperation with the Philippine Junior Marketing Association. A record-high 7,000 participants attended this year.

With the theme “Next Big Thing: Trendsetter Marketing,” the program started with an energy-charged special number from the UST Commerce Dance Troupe. PMA opened with the reminder that passion is required for anything that marketers wish to do and accomplish. Passion is the energy that will keep people going. StratMark 2013 seeks to create relevance through value marketing, motivating future marketers to strive to “be on top and be the next big thing.”

The keynote speaker was Ms. Matec Villanueva, Chief Executive Officer of Publicis Manila, Inc. Her talk focused on ideas on how to be the next big thing. First, she pointed out that Trendsetting Marketing is not new because great brands exist. Marketing is no longer about brand love, because love is replaced by desire. She used the word “sexy” to define what your brand should be-- to have the wow-factor and have the appeal to the consumers. Second, she advised marketers to stay in touch with the consumers. Technology has leveled the playing field and everybody has access to information. It is wise to invest in monitoring the consumer behavior and see the future via “now” data because money is never wasted on good research.

Speaking on the topic “Staying Ahead of the Marketing Curve: Assessing the Dynamic Landscape, Edgar Allan Caper, corporate Marketing Director of Max’s Restaurants shared the story of Max’s and their vision, which is “To be the most loved Filipino brand” and for that to happen, one needs to be a charming and trusted brand. He also shared their 9 Success Principles which are:

Principle I – Know thy Creator. “In everything you do, you always put Him first”

Principle II – Attitude. “Attitude brings us to higher altitude, not aptitude.”

Principle III – Know thy self. “Avoid being pretentious. Always be true to yourself and to other people.”

Principle IV – Goal Setting. “We all have purpose in life. We are all architects and engineers of our lives, it’s up to us what kind of building we want to be.”

Principle V – Self Discipline

Principle VI – Going the extra mile

Principle VII –Learning from defeat or setback

Principle VIII – Maintain physical and mental health. “Healthy personality starts from a healthy mind! Always feed your mind, body and soul.”

Principle IX – Enjoy! “Live your life.”

Mr. Caper wrapped up his insightful speech by answering the question “How do we stay ahead of the game?” We stay ahead with great marketing and excellent execution.

DM9 JaymeSyfu Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, Ms. Jayme Merlee shared “How Ideas Become World Changing Ideas.” She shared insights from some of the ads their agency has created for for the Gabriela Foundation, Pasig River Foundation and Smart Telecommunications. She said that we create great ideas because we enjoy it and we want to make a difference. One thing that made her go that far was because she was fearless in pursuing what she wanted in life.

Archie Rodriguez, Chief Executive Officer and President of Global Restaurant Concepts was the one who brought IHOP and California Pizza Kitchen into the Philippines. He applied his knowledge about niche marketing. Some of his observations of the Philippine market were: there was a rapid growth of the middle class, Filipinos have a service oriented culture, there are more young populations in the country and there is a 92.4% of literacy rate. Through in-depth understanding of customer insights, IHOP and CPK both made tremendous impact in the Philipine casual dining industry.

The fifth speaker was Gregory Banzon, VP and General Manager of Century Canning Corporation. His topic was “What your CEO Needs to Know: Creating the 1-Pager Marketing Plan.” He introduced The Art of Elevator Pitch wherein one should say his idea in a span of three minutes or less. He also shared 7 helpful hints, which are as follows: structure your pitch, introduce yourself, title your idea, start with something catchy, picture your idea, describe the problem, describe our vision and be different. Everything should be simple, clear and structured.

Nicole Bulatao, Digital Marketing Executive of Nestle, Philippines discussed “Measuring Digital Performance” and gave examples of both effective and ineffective social media strategies. The last speaker, Joseph Albette Buddahim, Managing Director of Performics PH, Zenith Optimedia, focused on the topic, “The Quest for Sales, Shares and Success: Creating the Consumer Engagement Plan” and shared the success funnel. His speech followed three main points: we should first continue to learn, next is to find our competitive advantage, and the last is to expand our network.

After all the insightful talks from the speakers, the new line up of National Executive Board of Officers of PJMA was inducted. With the fresh insights and enriching knowledge to be gained, along with exciting prizes, every StratMark conference is always worthy to attend.

(Article by May Angelique Lorenzo / Photo Credit : Mary Grace Khu and Te Jung Chou)