MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Havas Ortega has recently partnered with adobo Magazine on its latest Prosumer whitepaper, “The New Power of Communities”, which aims to underline the unique value that passion and interest groups bring to cultivating authentic and lasting brand messages. For brands, these partnerships with communities open unique opportunities to showcase and strengthen their purpose. For communities, working with brands expands and emboldens their advocacies to new audiences and more influential platforms, inspiring more acts of impact and change. To dig deeper into these discussions on marketing and society, Havas Ortega and adobo Magazine brought insights from the whitepaper into a panel discussion with influential representatives from some of the most engaged and passionate groups today: Janlee Dungca, Managing Directress of Castro PR and PR Lead of LoveYourself Inc., on the call for responsible representation and struggle bringing together marginalized groups such as the LGBTQIA+ community; Jessie Jang, Founder of Basically Borrowed, on today’s consumers leaning more towards conscious consumption and intentional brand patronage; Rachel de Guzman, a SB19 fan group leader, on how entertainment fandoms interact with brands based on authentic endorsement collaborations and personal affinity with artists; Eric Tai, a fitness ambassador and gaming streamer, on responsible messaging to younger audiences; And Gab Villegas, Head Roaster for Escolta Coffee Company and The Den, on creating safe spaces for creatives to gather and encourage collaboration. Each of the community representatives who joined the panel were handpicked to share insights based on their own causes, and in turn, have an open discussion on how brands and communities can work together to amplify these messages to society. What it means to have a community https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yQ98tKhB3s There’s a magic to individuals coming together for a shared purpose and experience that truly cannot be undermined. On a personal level, we are all seeking connection and camaraderie, and oftentimes are able to acquire these through proximity, time, and experiences outside our individual circumstances. However, there’s something incredibly powerful about people from different backgrounds coming together because of the same passions, interests, and something in their hearts that call them to the same desires for change. The latter is what drives the communities of today to social-level engagement. Jessie Jang, with her sustainable fashion hub Basically Borrowed, commented on this as a representative of the sustainability movement: “Finding this community and growing it now opened an entire world outside of my family. I’m not sure if I joined it, or if I accidentally gathered a bunch of like-minded people together, and we grew that community over the last few years.” When one is surrounded by people that believe in the same things as they do, they feel empowered to speak up and spark change. Underlining this, publicist and trans rights activist Janlee Dungca shared, “Having a community is about having a support group. What’s unique about the LGBTQIA+ community is that we’re born into this community. We didn’t choose to be part of this community.” She furthered, “It’s not a community born out of passion or interest, but out of struggle and marginalization, that we needed to come together to form a group, a movement that will help us go through the struggle together. This community allows us to live each day strongly because we have each other.” On top of being spaces of togetherness and comfort, communities are also influential platforms of education and awareness. Eric Tai highlighted this as a streamer with a largely young audience, and as someone who believes in forging personal relationships for stronger learning and sharing opportunities: “Some have millions of followers but they’re not really as tight as others that have a couple hundred thousand, but they are hardcore sensational followers that support you. The relationship and communication that you have with your followers, groups, or community, when you give that personal communication with them, you make them feel like they are part of something.” Lastly, communities – strengthened by the voices of hundreds and thousands – have the power to inspire action. For sustainable fashion, it furthers the call for solutions amidst rising environmental issues. For LGBTQIA+ representation, it widens society’s perception towards understanding and inclusivity, and so on. Rachel de Guzman, who leads a fan group in support of P-Poy boy group SB19, cited that the fans shared the band’s goals of elevating the country’s economy through music, and introducing OPM to the rest of the world. This passion shared between the boys and the fandom urged the fans to tap brands, suggesting they connect with SB19 as endorsers. “We are a very focused fandom, and we want to support SB19. Yung drive nila nakaka-hawa,” she stressed. Likewise for the creative industry, which thrives on skill-building and knowledge-sharing, Gab Villegas of The Den noted how communities can be valuable resources of inspiration and collaboration — thus, the significance of supporting spaces that hone these activities. “Since cultural funding in the Philippines is conditional at times, it’s important for artists to come together. If the government isn’t able to provide support for you and what you do, you come together with fellow artists to support each other and create the possibilities that you want in terms of your craft. There’s also the exchange of skills in the community,” Gab stressed. Brands as bridges between communities https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6Ulac_KCjg Given all this, where do brands fit in the picture? Aside from the top-of-mind executions such as picking endorsers that align with a brand’s corporate and social purpose, and being responsible with the stories they tell and the representation they put out into the world so as not to hurt already-marginalized communities, there are deeper ways in which brands can empower communities. (Sidenote: authentic collaborations with public personalities encourage consumers more to support a brand they feel is genuine.) According to Havas Ortegas’ “The New Power of Communities” whitepaper, an astounding 80% of prosumers — the subset of consumers who define trends before they hit the mainstream — expect brands to build bridges between communities and the broader public. This means championing communities and the causes they fight for. After all, marketing communications, especially in this day and age, has the power to reach even the most ignorant ears and the most powerful decision-makers through creative storytelling and platform amplification. But in order to do this, brands must commit to long-term collaborations with the communities they serve and champion. One-time endorsements with “viral” personalities or trend-jacking executions may be effective in ensuring a brand’s relevance on the day-to-day, but it’s in joining real conversations and socially-charged movements that secures its longevity and creates lasting brand equity. As the whitepaper states, “All of the Prosumer community groups in the discussion agreed that to form grassroots-level connections, they exponentially grow and get to learn deeper about their communities. If brands want to be part of this, they have to understand the long-term journey they need to be part of when working with communities.” Download the white paper (hyperlinked white paper) to learn more about the insights uncovered in “The New Power of Communities.” Check out Havas Ortega’s other works at ph.havas.com or on Facebook and LinkedIn
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