Kevin Michael Tan explains how and why MyPhone is transforming into a multimedia business
Words Rome Jorge
On November 7, 2016, MyPhone, the Philippines’ first local mobile phone brand, declared its new directive to become a multimedia company under Solid Group Inc. (SGI) before its transformation. SGI, the listed holding company, was originally engaged in distribution & marketing of consumer audio and video brands such as Sony and Aiwa, plastic molding manufacturing, broadband and cable television services through Destiny Cable, and real estate development, including its most recent project, Green Sun.
SGI’s success today was largely due to the MyPhone launch in 2007. MyPhone’s current transformation into a multimedia brand promises to be essential to the brand’s future.
New direction
Now with other local brands competing for the same market segments with similarly priced original design manufacturer (ODM) phones made in China, MyPhone is set to innovate once again.
Kevin Michael Tan, executive vice president of MyPhone, in an exclusive interview with adobo magazine, explains, “Competition right now in the mobile phone arena is insanely crazy. Currently, even more than the local brands with ODM partners in China, the international Chinese brands are aggressively coming in. You cannot imagine the war chests and resources of these brands. Considering the current situation of the market, our President and CEO David Lim decided that we have to evolve and transcend from being just a mobile phone brand to a multimedia company.”
“There is so much potential on mobile apps right now. Furthermore, collaborations with other strategic partners will make our brand more formidable and our products more appealing to our users,” Tan enthuses.
Good allies
MyPhone plans to use its smartphones as a platform for its pre-loaded apps that provide multimedia content from various partners. Central to its plan is the AGILA Rewards app that can provide its partners big data on what their consumers need and want. It leverages MyPhone’s existing market share—the third biggest brand or 10% in the Philippines in terms of unit shipments in 2014 according to the International Data Corporation. Already its partners notably include the ABS-CBN network.
Tan reveals how its partners can take advantage of MyPhone’s ecosystem of apps: “ABS-CBN is the top media network in the country and they are bursting with news and entertainment content. With NoInk, they were able to transcend TV and penetrate the mobile world. We are very fortunate and thankful that we were able to forge a partnership with them. More MyPhone users can enrich their minds by reading exclusive ABS-CBN contents as well as other interesting and fun books and magazines on the pre-embedded NoInk app. Its fresh and interactive feel will no doubt tremendously appeal to our young users.”
“AGILA Rewards is an innovative rewards lockscreen app that will change the game of advertising. People check their phones at an average of 150 to 200 times daily. This is the reason why we feel that AGILA Rewards will be one of the most exciting and effective medium of advertising today. This mobile platform can get you up close and personal to the users for more positive brand positioning and brand recall.
AGILA Rewards is also a rewards app that the brands can utilize by means of instant gratification or raffle to encourage users to engage, patronize their promo/ads. And since AGILA Rewards is on Google Play Store and can be used by all Android phone users, brands are guaranteed to be seen by millions of users across the country.”
He then teases, “I do not want to pre-empt our latest project but all of them will have a chance to play a significant role in it. All I can say is that it will be a movement that will nurture and promote everything beautiful in our country (with an entrepreneurial twist).”
Artwork Edward Joson
