MANILA —Havas Ortega recently appointed Patricia Villamor, an industry veteran with over twenty years of experience in planning and account management, as Brand Planning Director.
Villamor is a seasoned brand planner with a strong account management background. Over the course of her career, she has handled a wide variety of multinational and local brands including Unilever, Johnson & Johnson, Unilab, Jollibee Food Corp., and Ajinomoto.
Most of her advertising career was spent in Lowe Manila (formerly Lintas), where she rose through the ranks, starting in account management. Villamor made the shift to Planning as one of Vicky Ortega’s planning “disciples” in the fledgling Brand Planning Department in the early 2000s. After a three-year stint in Planning she was promoted to Business Unit Director on the J&J account. She shepherded the agency team through the J&J ASEAN integration, and headed the task force that instituted the fee compensation system on J&J. She championed and helped institutionalize a consumer insighting approach that led to strengthened brand communications. She was promoted to VP in 2007. Upon her exit from the account in 2008, the Johnson’s Baby brand equity index was at its highest score ever. By this time, under her watch, J&J had become the single biggest local account in the agency, and the biggest J&J business in Lowe Southeast Asia.
From 2008-2011 she headed the Unilab business unit at Lowe, concurrently acting as Planner on the account.
In 2011, she left Lowe to pursue her love for Planning at two successive independent agencies, Gasso and Catalytx, where she served as Planning Director.
Strategic client services will be strengthened as Villamor joins Havas Ortega’s Planning team. “Planning as a function has always been about bringing consumers and brands together with the help of research and strategic thinking. It’s about connecting the dots. What’s changed as a result of digital and technology is the sheer volume of data and information now available,” Villamor says. “So the challenge is sifting the chaff from the grain, and understanding the new path to purchase. In addition, because people today are more networked, the Planner has to understand not just the consumer but the customer and society, as the social aspect of every activity becomes increasingly important. Then there’s understanding technology, new media channels and platforms – but not so much what digital can and cannot do but what it enables the customer to do. The focus on needs, wants, and behavior will always be at the heart of Planning.”
Over the span of her career, Villamor has handled the breadth of FMCG, including detergents, baby care, intimate feminine hygiene, personal care, skincare, pharmaceuticals, adult and pediatric vitamins, energy drinks, and seasonings.
According to Villamor: “Big data, tools, and platforms (which Havas has in abundance) offer exciting new ways of connecting to consumers. I hope to bring my perspective on consumer and brand to the mix. Hopefully, my experience in various categories can help provide insight where it’s needed. At the same time I’m excited to learn from all the collaborative experiences and disciplines within Havas!”
Of the unique spirit within the Havas Village, she says: “I love the creative energy and the collaborative approach to solving problems–the Havas culture of thought leadership excites me as a planner.”
Havas Ortega Chairman & CEO Jos Ortega says this about Villamor: “Planning is one of the unfair advantages of Havas Ortega. Issa is a strategic addition to our arsenal.”
