MAKATI – adobo magazine sat down with the Country Manager of Turner Philippines Jia Salindong-Du of Turner Philippines where she talked about her role as the new country manager for Turner Philippines, her vision for the company, the brand’s new offerings to better cater the Philippine market, and the future plans of the TV company. Salindong-Du also spoke about what will happen during the Warner TV Pop Expo happening on July 14 at the Bonifacio High Street, BGC.
Could you describe your role as the new Country Manager for Turner Philippines?
My role and my vision for Turner Philippines is to sustainably grow both the business and the organization behind five pillars. The first would be growing and expanding the fandom of the Turner channels and brands that we have in the Philippines. The second piece would be to continue looking for opportunities to distribute local content. We want to be where the fans are, whatever medium it is. We want to be omnipresent in all omni channels.
The third pillar would be to collaborate and to partner with advertisers across various industries and provide them with great solutions and deliver high-quality plans for these advertisers. Fourth would be to extend the love for Cartoon Network and Warner TV. It would be to partner with our licensing team and further fuel the love for the brands. Fifth would be to mentor and to hone the next generation of Filipino media practitioners.
The Warner TV Pop Expo is happening this July 14th, what can we expect from it?
The Warner TV Pop Expo is a one-day event where all the fans and lovers of pop culture unite. It’s a day where they can express their love and express who they are and unite with fellow lovers of pop culture. There’s really something in it for everyone – from comics to DC shows, music, arts, sports – everything from the Warner Universe. We do have a lot of activities performances, and other surprises in store for everyone.
You mentioned that Cartoon Network remains the number one Kids channel in the Philippines for the last seven years. What do you think is the edge of Cartoon Network of the other kids’ channels?
Many things. First, we’re a fan-first company. If before, media companies would look at people as ‘viewers’, like passive receivers of content, the way we look at them is they’re our fans. Meaning there is a relationship that we nurture, a relationship that is deeply rooted in the love for the brand. So whatever they need, whatever they ask of us, we always listen.
As an example of being a fan-first company, Warner TV Pop Expo is a way to further build the fandom. They [fans] can stop at just TV but we want to continue fueling it that’s why we created the Pop Expo for them to come, for us to see them also and to listen to them.
Because of this rootedness and ability to listen to our fans, we’re able to provide great advertising solutions to our partners and also realizing that fans nowadays are not just present on TV. They want to consume and experience your brand everywhere. We have the Cartoon Network Watch and Play app where you can experience the brands. You should download it. It’s cool.
What’s next for Cartoon Network and Warner TV?
Cartoon Network is continuing to expand the fandom and making sure that we are the number one Kid’s network in the Philippines. Another one would be giving Filipinos the chance to experience the brands outside of the Philippines. We will have Cartoon Network Rockstars. It’s a reality show for young talents. We also have the Cartoon Network Wave, a Cartoon Network-themed cruise ship that’s also passing by the Philippines sometime in the future.
On Warner TV, we have a lot of new great shows – Krypton and Deception. These are really rating well within three months of launch. We also send people abroad to experience the brand like this weekend, we are going to send contest winners to the San Diego Comic Con.
