MANILA, PHILIPPINES — As the world continues to reel over the economic and societal effects of the ongoing pandemic, businesses have been confronted with one common challenge, that is, how to survive in the new normal. Companies, both big and small, have been compelled to take stock and ask some very foundational questions about their business. What does my brand really stand for? Is my business still relevant? How will my brand stand out in the midst of a contracted economy? With this in mind, adobo magazine and Branding Nerd joined forces to roll out a series of private webinars under the adobo Talks banner dubbed ‘Young Marketers Program’ with the goal of equipping small and medium-scale entrepreneurs (SMEs), brand owners, and marketers with a clear foundational understanding of branding.
These three modules were held for three consecutive weeks in June with Bingo Soriano, Founder, CEO, and Chief Branding Nerd of BASC Consulting International Corporation, serving as resource speaker and mentor for all modules.
Drawing from over three decades of experience, Soriano designed this Young Marketers Program, which is subtitled ‘How to Leverage on Branding to Build a Profitable Business’ to provide foundational lessons on the essence of branding, how to build a brand, and how to sustain a profitable brand. Real-life examples of brilliant brands are used to clearly explain the principles covered in this three-module webinar.
The three modules were designed to provide answers to each of these questions:
Module 1: What is branding and why is important for business?
In this module, participants gained a better understanding of the real and full meaning of branding. This module also introduced the concept of ‘open hole’ and brand positioning which is the fundamental starting point of any brand strategy. Finally, this module also covered the relevance of branding to any business or organization.
Module 2: What does it take to build a strong brand?
In this module, the concept of brand architecture was introduced which also encompasses the correct sequence of branding building which includes brand strategy, brand identity, and brand marketing, in that order.
Module 3: What does it take to sustain a profitable brand?
This module explained the six cycles of the life of a brand and also went deeper into the concept of brand architecture by going behind the scenes that helped a global brand sustain its growth amidst intense competition during the past five decades.
Soriano started his career in branding by joining the Marketing Management Trainee Program of Unilever right out of the University of the Philippines. His more than 30-year marketing career journey included stops at Purefoods, HSBC (both in the Philippines and Hong Kong), and Burger King Asia Pacific while being based in Singapore. He then moved to entrepreneurship, initially setting up BASC Consulting International Corporation in Singapore and in the Philippines with the tagline ‘Branding for Results’ which continues to train and coach businesses on how to strengthen their brands for the long-term. He also co-founded in-Store Media Philippines (iSMP) in partnership with the leading international shopper marketing company in-Store Media (iSM) based in Barcelona. Concurrent with these businesses, he then served as CEO of Snapworx Digital, and now serves as Group CEO of Xiklab Group International.
Having been trained in classical marketing over thirty years ago before riding the wave of digital marketing in the past ten years, Soriano has seen the ebbs and flows of the industry, giving him some unique insights into how marketing has evolved for the past three decades.
In this first-ever run of Young Marketers Program, a combination of aspiring marketers, as well as both young and experienced marketing practitioners signed up to gain or be refreshed on foundational lessons in branding. The maiden group included young business owners, entrepreneurs, graduating college students, podcasters, and more.
The modules clearly had a positive impact on the participants based on the feedback they submitted after each of the three modules.
“The modules were well structured and presented! It made me really think on where I am with my own business,” according to one participant who is an experienced entrepreneur.
The webinar also encouraged open discussion. “I appreciated that there was a very clear flow of the entire module, even the game/ice breaker helped in building up the lesson. I learned a lot also from the questions asked by fellow attendees, so it helped that there was good discussion,” said another attendee.
The culmination of the webinar in Module 3 provides participants some best practices by a global brand on how they have sustained the brand over the past fifty years. “Module 3 gave me a better understanding of the bigger picture and long-term perspective of running and establishing a brand,” said a young executive from a digital marketing agency.
This continuing partnership between adobo magazine and Branding Nerd will aim to provide more and more young marketers the foundational lessons needed in order to properly position, build and sustain a brand.
“We are excited to continue this partnership with Branding Nerd since there is clearly a great need especially amongst the young marketers to properly learn the correct and complete essence of branding. This is very relevant today more than ever since more and more entrepreneurs and businessmen need to have the right knowledge in order to build their business and brand in the market which has become even more competitive,” says Angel Guerrero, Founder, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of adobo Magazine.
“It is very satisfying to be able to interact and share my knowledge and experience with young marketers, and even with current practitioners who are looking to sharpen their skills, especially in brand strategy,” says Soriano. “If the learnings from the webinar are able to improve their brands’ competitiveness and profitability, then this would be the best validation of this continuing partnership with adobo magazine,” he adds.
Watch out for future runs of this program which could prove critical to the competitiveness and sustainability of the brands in your company or organization.
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