Ecopreneurs - Planters Development Bank

SME FOCUS | management
Tough times call for top communication
strategies, says marketing exec
20
SME COMmunity PHilippines
Recession. Crashing markets.
Rollbacks. Slowdown. Recurring
headlines about the
financial crises of the world’s
advanced economies can alarm even
the most complacent of a marketer. If
the United States itself, the country
many Pinoys consider ‘the land of milk
and honey’, will come crashing down…
what is bound to happen to the Philippine
economy Tough Times. You can
hear it in the tap-tap-tap of a homemaker
calculating and trying to cut back on
the weekly grocery. You can see it in
the jampack of commuters opting to
take the MRT instead of cars or taxis.
As if the country doesn’t have enough
problems, here come Tough Times. According
to business analysts, our country
will have minimal growth by 2009,
tiptoeing on the thin line between recession
and positivity. The marketer
has every reason to be alarmed.
But is alarm over tough times to be
equated with axing budget for marketing
and adspend Historically speaking,
the answer is a resounding NO!
The companies which survived and
thrived during the Great Depression
realized the fact that consumers didn’t
stop spending; most just looked for
better deals. The companies providing
those better deals came out stronger
after the Depression ended. Now,
the same principle applies, better deals
combined with better marketing and
communication strategies can and will
create demand even during the most
difficult of times.
In his talk at the recent AdCamp,
Toti Soliongco, managing director of
Momentum Philippines, discussed
how tough times affect the consumer
mindset, and what the new metrics are
to reach them. “They are now valueoriented,
and brand loyalty is hard to
come by. It is more difficult for mass
marketing to carry the message to each
consumer segment.” So how should
marketers address this Soliongco
notes, “We must speak with relevance,
speaking the consumers’ language,
sharing their interests, being a part
of their lives, and on their time, not
ours. The EXPERIENCE imperative.”
Quoting from Confucius, “I hear and
I forget. I see and I remember. I experience
and I understand,” Soliongco
states that this is the time where brand
activations set in.
W hy brand activations “One-way
brand communication is passe. Communication
elements need to relate the
brand to something the consumer cares
about...whether it’s a value, a tradition,
a desire, an inspiration.” Soliongco
adds, “It’s a powerful marketing tool
that: a) can improve the brand’s performance
through heightened interaction
with the consumer, b) can make
the brand relatable, c) can create positive
experiences and impressions while
in control of the environment and the
message and d) can help the brand
provide unique and innovative multidimensional
experiences.”
Tough times means continued rise
of traditional media costs. But with
alternatives such as experiential marketing,
there is no need for brands
to stop communicating. Consumers
don’t want to feel abandoned just because
crises loom ahead. They look for
brands worthy of their trust, brands
sharing the same sentiments they have.
As Soliongco said, “Give them top EX-
PERIENCE bound to make them forget
about Tough Times.”