Free Text Anyone

Surprise of all surprises, the Philippine Government is now bidding war against Pinoy tycoons! First, it was against the Lopezes. Now, in one grand shebang, GMA is after the Ayalas, the Gokongweis, and Manny Pangilinan. After all, the government is now calling for making SMS free for Pinoys. Hmmm, is this electioneering? Or another way to keep the public’s mind off Lozada? But then again, who’s Lozada nowadays after what the great GMA has done with the Rice Shortage and the Fare Hike?

At any rate, I just think that this is rather an act. You know why? Because someone from Globe informed me that their company is now pursuing Sun’s strategy and that means unlimited SMS and calls for subscribers within their network. I don’t know about Smart, but we all know how these telcos play the game.

And so, if this unlimited thing is already in the pipeline, why make such a fuss about this move to make texting almost free? It’s nice to know that at this time and age where money reigns supreme, our beloved government is still putting the welfare of the majority first against those of the elite few. Not.

Globe is already planning to make their services unlimited. You guys are just going with the flow and trying to earn a good name out of it. Tsk, tsk, tsk.

The BDO Effect

I was able to read in today’s papers that Unionbank is keen on buying UCPB. After all, having that insane (or is it sane?) dream to become one of the Top Three Universal Banks in the Philippines during this post BDO-EPCI takeover merger, the only way any bank can boost their standing is buy out other banks. It’s the same thing with PNB and Allied Bank albeit they say, plans for the merger of Lucio Tan’s banks has been planned way, way, way before.

Now, frankly, these are interesting times for the Philippine Banking Industry. After all, bankers, or should I say, banking has long been synonymous with boring. After all, with the omnipresent Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas breathing down their necks, what else is there to do for a bank other than to comply?

But lo and behold! Thanks to BDO, we can now see a lot of action among local banks these days. True, the arrival of Citibank and HSBC has sent warning signs from Metrobank to some rural bank somewhere in Mindanao. Yes, BDO can sometimes be stupid, but generally, it is this bank and the very aggressive lady called Teresita Sy-Coson who made all of the Presidents and CEOs of banks spin in their ridiculously expensive executive chairs.

Now, this is what I would like to call as The BDO Effect. Look at Security Bank now. Look at Unionbank now. Look at Metrobank now. All of them spiced up their branding to match up to the undeniable classiness of BDO’s spunky logo. Sure, a logo is just a logo. And in contrast to FMCGs, a logo or mere packaging can’t take you very far in this technology- and service-driven industry. But that’s exactly the point. Marketing has always been a support group for banks. A mere support group.

For other industries, from cellphones to real estate to that candy in your pocket, marketing always reign supreme. Marketing is the frontrunner, marketing is king. But no, not in the banking industry, or at least, not yet!

I know, it’s still a long way to go before local banks - BDO included - to become as big as their counterparts in the rest of the world. But for banks to budge and spend money on branding is a positive sign that finally, the power of marketing is finally being recognized. Let’s just hope though that as real marketers plow through the markets with their crazy tactics, the back-office supports of these banks can also ride on with the wave. After all, actions speak louder than words. It’s just a matter of time before we can truly see which of these banks are going to survive.

RCBC Robbery Pictures

I recently received unedited pictures showing the casualties of the grim RCBC robbery last May 18, 2008. You may download the images HERE at your own risk. Already corrected the link.

MAY THESE IMAGES HAUNT THE PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS. YOU WERE SOPHISTICATED ENOUGH TO PULL SUCH A STUNT. I BET MY ASS YOU GUYS HAVE A PC (OR A MAC) AND AN INTERNET CONNECTION. SOONER OR LATER, THIS IS GONNA BE FORWARDED TO YOU. I DON’T KNOW IF YOU GUYS HAVE A CONSCIENCE, BUT PERHAPS THIS CAN SERVE AS A DEADLY REMINDER.

MEMORIES ARE SUCH A PAIN IN THE ARSE.

World Pyro Olympics Fiasco

It’s been quite some time since my last post. After all, having received a lot of hate mails and a ton of things to do for my new job, one would say enough to criticizing other people’s stupidity and just focus on the good stuff.

Recently, I’ve just been trying to unwind. Aside from the usual beach outing, weekend gimmicks, and fiestas, one of the things I wanted to do this year is to watch the 2008 World Pyro Olympics at SM Mall of Asia. Unfortunately, as you might or might not know, it sucked.

I don’t know how much gunpowder the organizers for the event have inhaled, but darn they are just so stupid. I mean, promotion-wise, they already have a big fat zero. The only reason I know about it beforehand is because I’ve been on the prowl for this since missing out last year’s better version, and as an avid newspaper-reader, I do really really really read and get to notice the dumbest of all ads printed.

One thing that really irked me is the moving of the date from the perfect Holiday season to May. It’s a stupid month. It’s not summer, or at least end of summer, and it’s at the borderline of the very-exciting Philippine rainy season. Unfortunately for them, typhoons are in Japanese-mode this year (read as “early”) and so the weekly match-off has been postponed and has been postponed and has been postpones until God-knows-when.

It does not take a meteorologist to know when is a bad time to hold a fireworks competition. You just have to be a resident of Metro Manila. If you’re not, it does not take a genius to know that the way to get the info is to ask a resident of Metro Manila. The bad thing is, the organizers did not seem to get it and so they had the event lined up for the entire month of May. We’ve had a couple of typhoons now, right? And successions of thunderstorms that could outshine any firework made by man.

And even without the rain, this kind of event is really suited for the holidays. During this time, people are in the right mood to watch grandiose aerial chemical reactions (which leads to air pollution by the way) and in the right mood to spend for those darned tickets. So right now, I don’t know what’s gonna happen next year. Are the participants still going to join amidst this years’ fiasco?

I know this is a great tourism opportunity, which is really a great work by the Department of Tourism led by Sec. Ace Durano. But come to think of it, if the aim is tourism, it only supports my claim (and that of million others) that the best time to launch those rockets in the sky is the same time you hear Jose Mari Chan singing about those lanterns in the streets. Christmas shopping is good enough to attract. Add some fireworks, and you’re gonna have a blast (no pun intended). So please, learn from this mistake and hold the 2009 World Pyro Olympics come Christmas Season that year. But that is, assuming, something like this would still exist.

P.S. The branding sucks big time. Why not call it Manila Pyro Olympics instead? World Pyro is just a bit too generic and plebian. But then again, what can you expect from the same foul ups who loved May.