MANILA, PHILIPPINES – The Philippine Association of National Advertisers (PANA) is poised to achieve new milestones following the election of its 2020 officers and directors, led by its new President, Marvin Tiu Lim, concurrently the Vice President for Sales and Marketing of Mega Global.
Also elected were Adi Timbol of Golden Arches Development Corporation (Vice- President); Blen Fernando of Magna Anima Teachers College (Corporate Secretary); Ken Lerona of Entrego Fulfillment Solutions (Auditor); Rose Joy Jolingan of Nestle Philippines (Treasurer); and Viki Encarnacion of Watsons Personal Care Stores (Philippines), Inc. (Treasurer). Elected as Directors were Mary Julie Balarbar of De La Salle University; Anna Legarda-Locsin of Procter & Gamble Philippines; Reynante delos Reyes (Rebisco Group of Companies) and Grace Fornier-Magno of Shopping Center Management Corp.
Tiu Lim, working with PANA’s new leadership, aims to bring to life the organization’s 2020 theme of Brands that Build the Nation. With PANA as the leader in the industry, Tiu Lim understands that the organization plays a key role in strategic industry directions. As such, they are committed to innovating and developing the industry to also affect change in nation-building. The 2020 theme supports PANA’s vision to promote effective, truthful and responsible marketing communications by championing consumer protection, championing self – regulation, values formation and the advancement of the practice of marketing communications to global standards, especially among its 300-strong members. With Mega Global’s lead in the organization, this will be done by focusing on strategic efforts: education for brand builders, consumer protection through responsible advertising, and industry development through brand building. Tiu Lim aims to provide greater support to SMEs and smaller brands, not only within PANA but in the business world in general.
Having worked at the forefront of Mega Global’s efforts to transform the company into one of the most dynamic enterprises and the top sardine manufacturer in the Philippines, Tiu Lim recognizes the importance of these strategic efforts. Leveraging the use of technology and innovation, such as Mega Global’s innovative catching-to-canning fish pump process, Tiu Lim used digital and traditional communications to bring attention to the valiant work of fishermen in bringing the freshest sardines to people. This not only built the Mega Global brand, but also the lives of the fishing community and the stature of the Philippine fishing industry.
In this oath-taking speech, Tiu Lim emphasized the important roles that brands play in the lives of people, and in the overarching goal of nation building. These goals will be pursued through PANA’s 2020 thrusts that include being inclusive with SMEs, family businesses, corporations, multinationals, collaborating with industry partners, sustained communications, involving the youth, and stronger involvement of members. Tiu Lim added that he would work towards providing current members with more opportunities to learn and innovate through elevating PANA communications, e-learning, and networking.
“This is an exciting time for us in the Philippine business. PANA is in a strategic position to be of service not only to its members but also to the nation. PANA aims to support SMEs, so that they can be equipped with the proper tools and services in order to make them grow, and so that they can enjoy a level playing field with larger brands. This will also cover wider product categories deviating from the traditional food and personal care. We have to remember that SMEs promote healthy competition and growth, and without them, the money will not flow to the grassroots,” said Tiu Lim.
Inclusive brand marketing will be a priority for PANA as it stresses that members should aspire to #InvolveToEvolve. “By being inclusive, SMEs and big corporations can share best practices and innovative business models, especially those that represent every business. By promoting sustainability and community-building, we encourage practices that benefit not only our brands but the environment and communities as well. With the right marketing tools, coupled with a thirst for knowledge and learning, we can focus on creating a nation of brands that edify and build – not just the economy, but also communities and society in general,” he concluded.
Highlighting the power of brands and advertisements in building a nation, and specifically its innate goods, Philippine Department of Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat gave an insightful keynote address touching on advertising’s impact on tourism.
“What good is your product, made with months or even years of development, if nobody knows about it or fails to resonate with people at first glance? How can you convince the word that it’s different? To make its unique selling proposition on paper, a reality? I’d say that’s a function of the DOT as well. We can have a multitude of superb tourism destinations but without a spark of creativity, they’re all just going to be another beach, another mountain, and another dish”, she stated in her address.
She cited some notable local ads throughout the years that are still widely remembered and loved, despite the many years that have passed, with their iconic dialogues and witty punch lines:
“Coffee na lang, dear”
“Goodbye, Carlo!”
“I can feel it!”
Lastly, she talked about the role the national “It’s More Fun in The Philippines” tourism campaign had to overall number of tourists in the country.
Building on the success this campaign had, a new tourism initiative was launched online recently bringing out an influx of personal travel photos from Filipinos (and tourists) all around with “Be Part of the Fun”:
“We updated our design to support our main thrust, which is sustainable tourism. We repurposed the word “fun” to add a renewed and refreshed sense of responsibility. With more and more travelers conscious about their ecological footprint, the cultures and experiences they are consuming, and simply wanting to know how they can give back.
Our new logo is minimalist in design, backed up by a customized font that led to a massive crowdsourcing campaign to promote the Philippines”, Secretary Romulo-Puyat shared.
She also shared the numbers that defined the success of the Department of Tourism in the past year, with the number of visitors reaching an all-time high in 2019: 8 Million tourists.
“Our latest available official figures, which account for the period of January 1 to November 30, 2019, reveal 7,484,115 visitor arrivals in the first 11 months, a 15.58% increase over the same period last year. In November alone, we’ve already welcomed more tourists than the entire 2018.
“I wonder if we would have had the same kind of success without advertising?”
Lastly, Secretary Romulo-Puyat wrapped up her presentation by emphasizing the importance, and need, for sustainable tourism development as it “not only improves connectivity and infrastructure between our islands, it elevates the lives in local communities affected by our industry. In 2018, 5.4 million people were employed in the tourism industry, roughly 13% of the country’s employed workforce in that year’, she said.
“We must ensure that what makes the Philippines so amazing—our natural wonders; our customs, values, and traditions; our culinary treasures—will still be around in the years to come. That’s why we’ve rehabilitated Boracay, that’s why we’re trying to clean up Manila Bay, that’s why we’ve launched a ferry service in the Pasig River, and why we’re bringing back the historic charm of Baguio City after years of overdevelopment. These are just a few of the projects which the DOT has initiated under the “Save our Spots” or SOS campaign. Don’t you all feel frustrated whenever you hear stories from the older generation lamenting about how great these places used to be? Let’s do something about it. The so-called “glory days” don’t have to be in the past—with everyone’s help, the best days are yet to come.”
