What’s in a Name?

If someone mentions Rock and Roll, perhaps the brands of Harley Davidson or even Levi’s would flash right before our eyes. Now, that’s Top of Mind. Your next answer would be called Unaided brand. Now, if you ask for a tip, or a clarification, your answer would fall as an Aided brand.

Now, if I were to ask you in reverse, where would BUM Equipment be?

Recently, BUM Equipment launched a massive campaign featuring the Roco Twins, making itself appear as a rock and roll brand.

BUM Equipment. I rest my case.

Bonifacio High Street Acquired by SM Malls

I recently heard that Bonifacio High Street was recently purchased by SM Investments.

I just wish the above statement is true so that I don’t have to continue ranting. At any rate, I’ll still continue, because the last time I check, Bonifacio High Street is still owned by the Ayalas.

Anyway, have you guys ever been there recently? Aside from the growing number of stores, the ostentatious people (Haha!), and the abundance of modern art, you may have noticed those big pictures of human beings plastered above like billboards.

Ugly, right? The place would have been uber chic before, but now, it makes me feel like Henry Sy does own the whole Philippines! Why in the world did they have to do that? Who suggested that? Who took those pictures? Who are those models? Who approved the idea and made some unknowing blue-collar guys put it all up? Someone has go to pay for this!

Seriously, those photographic pictures makes Bonifacio High Street appear cheap. I don’t think appearing cheap is one of the objectives why the strip was created in the first place. Anyway, you guys can still save face. Just throw some buckets of paint all over those pictures, or better yet, take them all down.

I know, I know, doing so maybe wasteful. After all, producing those ghastly things isn’t cheap. But hey, the Ayalas wouldn’t be the scion of Philippine economy if they didn’t make certain sacrifices early in their lives. This one is just a simple lapse of judgment, something that could be executed in one simple SMS (through Globe of course!).

Government Warning: Line Extension

A little trivia: before Marlboro became the symbol of all things Western and cowboy, it used to be marketed as a ladies cigarette. Freaky, huh? But yeah, that’s true until that one fateful day a real marketing genius thought of aligning Marlboro to real macho stuff. As you know, the rest is history, and until today, Marlboro ads are still playing the same old stuff over and over again. And it works.

But unfortunately, the Marlboro Man has sadly gone Brokeback Mountain. Taking those red packets used to exclaim: I am a man, I am tough, look at me. But sooner or later, thanks to some idiot who suggested some lame changes in packaging, Marlboro will come out of a PET wrapper.

The first time I saw it, the only world that flashed out of my mind is synonymous to fornication. The word that followed sounds like “sheet”. I understand where the change is coming from, after all, the Pinoy’s purchasing mentality is always with “tingi-tingi”. For my non-Filipino speaking readers, it means “buying by the singles”. And so, rather than be satisfied with the usual “takatak” vendors to do their thing, Marlboro (or Philip Morris) decided to make a smaller packing size. And for some unknown reason, they didn’t stick with foil and paper but utilized PET wrapper. Now, buying Marlboro feels like buying Safeguard or that weird packaging for Frenzy condoms.

Line extension is evil. Thou shalt not yield. If you must make a new SKU, a new flavor, a new whatever, always remember your brand’s main point. You may call it positioning, image, core attributes, or even to the lamest slogan, always keep in mind that though change is constant, try your best to resist destructive changes.

Honestly, does the picture of their new packaging look manly? It does not! In fact, not only does it look wimpy, it looks awfully cheap! The idea is notable, if it is used by the likes of Champion or More, but surely not Marlboro. I even think the guys from Hope and Winston never ever thought of doing this and they’re the ones who hold that corny concert with a certain Mr. Mercado as the party extraordinaire.

We all know that smoking kills. Please, please, kill the idea.

Summit versus the World

In my wonderful field of work, meeting up with certain key people from the world of publishing is an everyday happening. Chances are, if you really read the magazines you, well, read, you’d know that the number 1 magazine in the Philippines is FHM and it’s published my Summit Media.

On the other hand, there are the notable contenders like Maxim from ABS-CBN publishing, Manifesto from the makers of C! and Calibre, Manual from Mega, and Uno from 5 Leaf Publishing. Though Manifesto and Manual may deny this comparison, them being high-end or targeted to another market, they are still birds of the same feather for the general reading public.

Anyway, an observation I have in dealing with them is simply stated in the title: Summit versus the World. In every lunch meeting, quick coffee, or even a phone conversation, other publishers would always mention Summit. In any given case, this magazine/publisher would compare themselves to FHM or Summit from all aspects of existence such as cover girls, articles, and wholesomeness (if you know what I mean).

However, if you speak from the snotty guys from Summit (well, not everyone, but being #1 gives them the right to do so), they only speak of nothing else but Summit. Nothing else is ever mentioned. They are the world, the world is them. Or at times, the world revolves around them. Since I am not the kind of person who would drop names, brands, etc. out of social-climbing desires, the mention of their “unworthy competitions” are never ever brought up.

This brings us again to one of my favorite statements in marketing:

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

If you’ve ready my blog, you’d notice how much I keep on professing this powerful statement. In fact, the guys from 7-Eleven are also doing this: what Ministop? No matter how small or big or fun or serious you are, you should always watch out from falling out of this paradigm. Love Radio failed. Nike failed. God knows who else would fall unto this trap.

When I say don’t ever mention your competition, I’m not saying you ignore them. For crying out loud, I know a lot about my company’s competition even to the freaky point that I have their key decision makers’ pictures and profiles stashed in a manila envelope somewhere humorously labeled “Hit List”.

Yes, blatant or direct name-calling is prevalent in the USA unlike here in the Philippines. Some may say that it is time to change, but for me, today is by far the best time to stick to this method. The best war in our world history is not World Wars I and II! The Gulf War or the War on Terrorism cannot even come close. The best war is the Cold War, because it is the war of ideology, a war of the mind.

The same thing should go with marketing. Keep it silent. Play with the mind. Never recognize the competition up front and always make sure your market follows suit. If you know how to play this game, you’d always be on top of everything. You’d even have that sinful pleasure of making your competition wither in their seat. After all, hate is not the opposite of love. Ignorance is bliss.