MANILA, PHILIPPINES — In today’s climate, capturing the attention of even one person is a tremendous feat in and of itself. Yet, Omnicom Media Group Philippines (OMG Philippines), captivated multiple attendees with the launch of Hearts & Science Philippines through the event "Building Brands Through Hearts & Science," last October 09, 2024. Adorned with lush greenery and pops of pink throughout Manila House in BGC, the guests were set on what the Hearts & Science team had in store for the afternoon. Angel Guerrero, adobo Magazine’s Founder and Editor-in-Chief, opened the program by introducing the luminous lineup before passing on the mic to Mary Buenaventura, President and CEO of OMG Philippines, who gave the welcoming remarks. “Omnicom Media Group’s Manila base has steadily been growing, ranking in fifth place in 2015 to now being the second biggest media holding group in the country (based on RECMA)." True to its name, Hearts & Science masterfully blends the power of data with the human experience, translating well-researched data into ideas and executions that touch the hearts of its intended audiences. The media agency has already seen success through this method, but it's only just the beginning. "This has only made us more ambitious, with our biggest goal being number one in the local marketing industry,” Mary declared. “Today will be the first step towards making that dream a reality.” The ceremony catapulted those dreams to fruition, and the following are just some of the many nuggets of wisdom shared by the event’s speakers and panelists. "Today, we're not just marketers. We’re not just media agencies. We are all storytellers." Rochelle Chhaya, CEO of Hearts & Science - APAC began the session with a fact. “As a brand, all you need is 2.5 seconds of attention. [Yet], research and studies have shown that 85% of brands do not even get 2.5 seconds of active, undivided attention,” she revealed. Nowadays, convenience is at the tip of people’s fingers and entertainment is constant, which, in turn, has eradicated boredom from consumers’ vocabularies. So, how can marketers stock up on the most important currency — time? According to Rochelle, the solution is to build connections. Time is not something that can be bought; it must be earned. Rochelle emphasized, “It’s not a world where we need to have innovative disruption anymore. It’s a world where we need to start building connections with our consumer[s] at the smallest level and at the highest level.” For this to happen, consumers must be placed at the center of these connections through sincere storytelling, and Hearts & Science is leading by example by branching out to the Philippines to forge even more authentic connections. “Now is a time for experimentation and embracing the unexpected." While Rochelle dove into the essence of Hearts & Science, Bharat Khatri, Chief Digital Officer of Omnicom Media Group Asia Pacific, talked about the massive shift in the marketing space caused by AI, referring to it as the “Fourth Industrial Revolution.” He explained how AI is not a new phenomenon; rather, it’s been used in marketing for more than two decades. He then showcased Generative AI’s impact in several fields such as entertainment, gaming, e-commerce, and even hardware technology to prove its undeniable presence in modern society. Generative AI is swiftly permeating more and more aspects of everyone’s lives, and Bharat believes marketers should embrace the change and its uncertainties. For Hearts & Science, this means customizing AI to cater to clients. Towards the end of his segment, Bharat said, “I urge everyone not to think, ‘Human versus AI,’ [but] start thinking about how we can work with AI and leverage human with AI to enter this new world of marketing.” Insights from industry panelists Moderated by David Guerrero, Creative Chairman of BBDO Guerrero, panelists Jay Bautista, Managing Director of Kantar Media Philippines, Lizelle Maralag, Chief Marketing Officer of GMA Network Inc., and Margot Torres, Managing Director of McDonald's Philippines joined Rochelle and Bharat to further discuss AI as a marketing tool. When questioned about how her team navigates the adversities associated with AI, Margot immediately brought up a philosophy she integrates into the workplace. “When it comes to sustainability, before you even jump into AI or communications, it starts with doing. Doing good. Doing the right thing. We call it ‘storydoing’ before you move into storytelling.” Jay brought up two focal points from a recent nationwide research conducted by Kantar Media — the multi-generational differences in media consumption and multi-platform preferences between each generation. Despite these contrasts, one thing binds them together. “It’s really content,” Jay answered. “A lot of Gen Zs are online. The boomers are still on linear TV [and] analog radio. But, [if] you dig deeper, what do you see? You see content cutting across platforms.” Meanwhile, Lizelle admitted that GMA uses AI to streamline pressing tasks but made it abundantly clear that AI isn’t the driving force behind the content. “At the end of the day, we have to ensure that all of the concepts [and] content churned out by GMA is original,” Lizelle clarified. “Yes, we may use [AI] as a peg, but we still have our creative[s] do the work…Serbisyong totoo kami palagi.” (“Our service is always true.”) Hearts & Science Philippines is here As the event drew to a close, Mary returned to the stage with Fen Marquez, General Manager of Hearts & Science Philippines, to officially launch the media agency in the market. “By forging technology with humanity, we commit to devise campaigns that make the best of both worlds for our client's business,” Fen said. A human-centric approach is imperative to bridging humanity and technology for future-proof marketing, and the opening of Hearts & Science Philippines is a recalibration toward innovation that doesn’t lose community — the “heart” of marketing. adobo Magazine is an official media partner of the “Building Brands Through Hearts & Science” event.
