Just Don’t

You gotta be kidding me. That’s what I first thought when I saw the new shirt from Nike emblazoned by the words “One swoosh is better than 3 _______.” Of course, not everyone could get it at first try, but later on you’d realize what it’s all about and wonder, why did they have to do that?

Just like the case of Love Radio, Nike got off it’s numero uno pedestal by finally acknowledging the competition. Of course , Adidas is a formidable competitor unlike the case of Love Radio, but once again, the famous saying goes:

“No one can make you feel inferior without your permission.” — Eleanor Roosevelt

Nike shouldn’t have thought about making that shirt. If they had to, they shouldn’t have actually made it. Honestly, it looks so downright pathetic, immature, and uncouth. Of course, their number one spot in the field of athletics is always arguable, but that doesn’t matter if THEY did not make it matter.

I dunno what these people were thinking, but by poking fun at the competition, they merely destroyed themselves. Now, all I can think about as far as Nike is concerned is plain dirty tactics. Is that what athletes should be? The last time I checked, professional athletes (the likes of Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, and er, Manny Pacquiao?) were symbols of professionalism, sportsmanship, and teambuilding. That awful Nike shirt destroyed all that.

Nike is like a bully for me now. Resorting to jokes, or even bullying, just to show the world who’s boss in a very shallow level. Of course, we might say it’s just a joke, just like in sports. But for a company that took years and years to embed itself as the official outfitter of almost every sport legend during our time, it is a totally huge mistake for them to do a lame stunt such as this one.

The Thing About Auction.ph

Recently, the world wide web revealed that Auction.ph inked a deal with Pinoy Web Superstar Yugatech as endorser to their Auction.ph Ads strategy. To put it in a nutshell, their strategy is like Auction Ads (pardon the confusing names, but Auction.ph is a Pinoy website while Auction Ads is a foreign one). Well, at some point, they could be the Pinoy version of Google Adsense, but based on my own honest opinion, that would be a far too distant of a shot.

You see, I have nothing against Yugatech, or Abe Olandes, he is after all one of the known netizens of this country. Unfortunately, for a marketing failure that is Auction.ph Ads, it seemed like a moronic move to ask an IT slash techie guy to save the day and not, say, a marketing guru. As an endorser, I could fathom, but for some real functional pointers?

I don’t think Dr. Ned Roberto could do so much more good than Yugatech either, because at some industries, the Doc may have a bit of a generation problem (hehehe), but what I’m saying is that they should have at least opted for someone with a hardcore marketing background with a dash of IT or consumer electronics. Even a hotshot from the retail industry might have been more applicable.

Now, I am not going to continue dissing out Auction.ph’s move with only Yugatech in mind. I am merely reflecting on the generalized idea of an IT guy being asked for marketing strategies.

It is quite a known fact in marketing that some people think of the area as nothing more than sales. That is what we marketers refer to as the lame distribution strategy. That is absolutely wrong. For your information, marketing is not a piece of cake. It is a whole lotta cakes of different sizes, colors, tastes, origin, prices, manufacturers, and expiration dates. Some guys I know even think they know marketing just because they know what the 4ps is all about. Like duh? 4Ps? That is so outdated, even a 13-year old with the help of Google or Wikipedia can explain that to you.

Moreover, for other professionals outside the field of marketing, they seem to make things so functional or beautiful coming from their own expertise, that they fail to see if it is even marketable in the first place. Take for example certain Nobel Prize winners. They did great good for humankind for discovering the Xs and the Ys, but at the end of the day, only a mere fraction of these researches have a known commercial value.

If Auction.ph wants to make the most of their resources, don’t bank on your success with your image model or any endorsers. Work your butt off, marketing people! Honestly, I have been watching your moves ever since I first laid eyes on your banner and print ads, and up to know, I haven’t registered in your website even just for the fun of it. And that’s coming from me, a webaholic with a million accounts, usernames, and alternicks.

But perhaps, maybe its because your marketing department sucks so much that going for Yugatech’s recommendation is actually an upgrade. If that’s the case, you guys should just pack your bags and leave, or to make it more applicable, go off-line. Now, I might be an ass thinking of myself as the know-it-all here, but hey, read my blog title. Hehehe.

Hopefully, this post would catch your attention and serve as a challenge for all of you.

P.S. Yugatech, I do read your blog.

Trump Goes Manila

I just knew that sooner or later, The Donald Trump would arrive at our dirty doorsteps. Why? Simply because though the guy has style, he isn’t gonna be satisfied being a me-too in any industry. Thus, if he intends to expand his empire, say, in Asia, he wouldn’t go to Tokyo, Shanghai, Hongkong, Singapore, not even Malaysia, even if it’s the most logical move of all. After all, where’s the fun in that? “Fun” is after all, Mr. Trump’s middle name.

And so, with the recent developments in Fort Bonifacio Global City, it seems like The Donald Trump is wanting a piece of the action. Unfortunately for The Donald Trump, it seems like the Shangri-La group is looking at the same spot where The Donald Trump wants to land on. And so, the BCDA came up with a bidding war to reap the best out of the situation. But come on guys. This one is a no-brainer. Give the land to The Donald Trump (actually, he can’t own one, but some legal beagle can find ways), and just watch as our tourism industry rise from then on.

Let’s face it. A Shangri-La in The Fort is yesterday’s news. As a third installment within the Metro, it’s not much of a news. Besides, who needs a Shangri-La Fort? However, a Trump Plaza would do wonders. Sure, the guy is sometimes a bad example of business wisdom, but at this point, who cares? His Midas Touch of a name would do more good than bad if this new is indeed real. Besides, bad publicity is still good publicity in this case. And so, with or without bidding, to whoever handles this transactions, give the land to The Donald Trump. I’m not saying you actually skip it, because that may totally be illegal (or I may be wrong) but don’t ignore the fact that this opportunity doesn’t come for just anyone.

If you don’t and The Donald Trump decides to go for Indonesia (bad choice) or East Timor (really) and the effects of his arrival jump starts their economies, well, one thing if for sure. Someone from Malacañang may be irked and call you up early in the morning with these 2 deadly words: YOU’RE FIRED!

Saving the Last Precious Moments

Well, in the realm of Xerox, Google, and Colgate (well, at least here in the Philippines), a certain household name is bound to be forgotten this side of the world in a few generations. I just received word that Kodak Philippines has decided to abandon ship and just leave their current operations here under an assumed new corporation called TechTrends.

Personally, I saw no effort in combating their war against obsolescence. After all, TechTrends as a company name doesn’t reflect too much brainstorming if you’d ask me. The press releases say that the new company would merely act as a distribution partner for Kodak here in the Philippines. Putting aside the numerous number of jobs lost over the years, I can firmly say that corporate Kodak is now bidding goodbye to our one hell of a country.

Makes me wonder though why Kodak decided to ditch us. Is this merely the decision of the big boss, say, in the USA, or did the GM or CEO or whatever of its local subsidiary decided to pull the plug himself? If so, what were the reasons? Corporate restructure or bankruptcy? I know there’s Google and searching is a click away, but I really prefer making uninformed reactions about this issue for now.

Honestly, even our local doomed beeper companies made better decisions. One became a call center, right? I’m not saying they should have morphed into something like Kodak Shared Services, because heck that won’t work. But for me, closing the books is just the lamest, though easiest, way out.

Alaxan’s Mistake

I knew it. The moment I saw the great Manny Pacquiao endorse Alaxan across all channels, I just knew that Unilab committed a very costly mistake (and thus, someone might loose their jobs real soon).

As you can see, the great Manny Pacquiao decided to run for congress. Now, it doesn’t take a political analyst or a sheer marketing genius to know the repercussions of such actions. Whether the great Manny Pacquiao wins a seat or not will have devastating effects on the brand.

If he wins, come on, a politician as an endorser?

If he looses, come on, a looser as an endorser?

And in this celebrity-crazed society of ours, the abovementioned statements will kill a brand as soon as you can say “Pacman”.

No matter how much honor the great Manny Pacquiao brought to our country the past few years, it will totally be eclipsed by the sad fact that he turned coat and became just another politican, urhm, public servant. I really wonder why it’s only in the Philippines where great people find stupid ways to tarnish their legacies. If USA have serial killers, we have wannabee politicians or wannabee actors and actressses.

Anyway, my sources from ad agencies have informed me that due to the Comelec’s banning of the great Manny Pacquiao on-air, they now have to make some last minute changes to salvage the dying ad campaign.

Sigh, guess I am once again correct, huh?

Milo is Confused

Have you ever heard that corny radio advertisements for Milo Fuze? It goes something like, “Don’t be confused, because Milo Fuze is for adults” and all that crap. Honestly, I think it is they - the marketing geniuses of Milo, or should I say Nestle - who are deeply confused.

Milo is a great brand. In fact, it has withstood generations and that wonderful test of time. In fact, I’ve had my own Milo phase because if you really think about it, Milo is a kid’s drink. Milo is chocolate malt drink for kids. End of discussion. But as well all know, the evils of line extension once again won the heart of these multinationals and here we are with Milo Fuze.

By coming up with Milo Fuze, not only has the brand now become less apparent to be for children, it makes you even wonder if as an adult, drinking Milo years before the existence of Milo Fuze was completely a waste of time. Line extensions, my friends, are nice as long as it keeps the cash pouring in. But may I remind you that brand identity and positioning is like the Mona Lisa. It isn’t a cash cow, but everyone knows it’s priceless.