ABS-CBN’s Jon Gatbonton, Dennis Lim and Ces Drilon share how the journey of ABS-CBN Global, Digital, and News & Current Affairs in serving overseas Filipinos has evolved with the times, the market and the technology
September 30, 2016 (Manila, Philippines) – The Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP), the premier organization of public relations practitioners, takes the PR practice to a renaissance as it brings back discussions to a global perspective at the 23rd PR Congress held recently at the Marriott Hotel in Pasay City in Manila.
According to PRSP President Ronald Jabal, there is a resurgence in the need to bring Philippine brands to the international market and speak to a global audience because of the evolving market landscape. Jabal mused: “This Congress highlighted how PR can most effectively connect organizational plans and interests with the discriminating consumers and stakeholders outside the Philippines.”
With the theme “Global Speak: Are You Ready to Take the Global Stage?” this year’s PR Congress leveraged on the experiences of local and international brands which have made their mark overseas.
Speakers who shared best practices in terms of globalizing local brands and which effective communication they can take, include Jon Gatbonton, ABS-CBN Global Ltd. global ad sales head and Dennis Lim, head of ABS-CBN Digital Media Services.
According to Gatbonton, speaking to a global audience is a continuously evolving process. He shared: “From a group of eight to a group of four hundred we have come a long way and we still have a long way to go. What we want to say is that where we are today is not just a function of the collective brilliance of all of these people…It’s not us dictating where we are going. It is this market dictating where we are going.”
Building on valuing what the market wants, Gatbonton adds that ABS-CBN Global takes into consideration that each market is different. “It was simple back then. At some point the global Filipino market got so big, we had to figure out the market by geography. But it was not dictated by geography alone. It didn’t stop there. Years after, you realize that there are generations of Filipinos leaving in one Filipino household.”
This market segmentation is key in terms of communicating with the audience according to Lim who added that the common mistake of speaking to a global audience is in how tools are created for the approving parties, not for the actual consumers. He explained: “People aren’t seeking marketing copy. They are looking for other people’s experiences so they can humanize it, apply it to their dreams and aspirations.”
However, before even going outside the homeland, Sky Cable Executive and immediate Past President of the PRSP Ramon “Bong” Osorio said that there is a need for Philippine players to look into themselves first – their resources and manpower. He said “We need to integrate our global communication operation to generate a tighter level of efficiency and control.” He added, there is a need to “put up a global communication network composed of people from various company departments.”
Other speakers at the two-day congress included subject matter experts both from the public and private sector. Assistant Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry Arturo Boncato shared the current administration’s efforts to ease the requirements for businesses planning to set up both in and outside the Philippines.
Subject matter experts from the private sector provided interesting insights on what worked and what did not: Richard Spencer, chief marketing officer of iSENTIA; Kevin Tan, executive director of Alliance Global Group, Inc.; Jose Miñana JFC president for North America and Foreign Franchise Brands in the Philippines; Edelita Cuevas, Philippine Airlines head of Brand Management; and Cora Guidote SM senior vice president Investor Relations and Corporate Communication.
Providing insightful panel discussions were Margot Torres senior vice president for Marketing of McDonald’s Philippines; Paolo Mercado senior vice president and head of marketing and Consumer Communication of Nestlé Philippines; and Dennis Perez senior brand manager, Hair Care SEAA, Unilever Philippines. Day two panelists who spoke on traditional versus new media included Anna Gokongwei, ceo of Summit Publishing, Inc.; Thelma Sioson San Juan lifestyle editor of Philippine Daily Inquirer; and multi-awarded broadcaster Ces Drilon.
During her panel, Drilon revealed that with the speed of how technology delivers content and how the market consumes it, story gathering has also evolved. Drilon reveals: “Many stories I’ve done were because I engaged on Twitter.” With this, Drilon said: “A new entrant in broadcast journalism must know how to do everything – write, shoot and edit at the same time.”
Lim affirms that innovation is necessary. In fact, he reveals that ABS-CBN is now beyond television and is making the shift. “There’s a realignment of content and it’s presented to adjust to the changing times.” He adds: “Definitely, digital plays a big role for us entering bigger markets.”
Truly, the PR practice has been evolving as the times, especially technology, has been changing, breaking old traditions and introducing new norms, both here and overseas.
Harold Geronimo, PR Congress chairman said that in order to make the cut, the Filipino companies need to be ready. “Local brands who envision themselves to be global brands someday need to take the challenge of the evolving trends of the public relations and communications,” he ends.
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