After his stint as ABS-CBN’s top ad sales guy, Nicanor Gabunada tries his skills on mobile marketing

After his early retirement as the senior vice president for integrated sales and marketing of ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp., Nicanor Gabunada Jr. is back in marketing as the president and chief executive officer of ZOOmms, a company that is pushing mobile marketing in the country.

Compared with his post in the Lopez-controlled media company, wherein he had an easier time to get the advertisers to buy airtime, this time around Gabunada has to be a bit more aggressive in convincing clients to utilize the latest platform in advertising.

But Gabunada remains bullish on the potentials of mobile marketing, since the Philippines has around 45 million mobile-phone subscribers.

“ZOOmms believes that mobile marketing, while still in its infancy in the Philippines, will grow stronger in time, as advertisers and consumers realize its significant benefits,” says Gabunada.

He says ZOOmms will leverage on the Filipino’s affinity for the mobile phone, which has become a necessity.

Unlike the traditional advertising media like television, radio and print, Gabunada says the major difference of the mobile phone is the ability to communicate marketing and promotional messages to a consumer one-on-one, anytime, anywhere.

Multiple strategies

Gabunada is also excited about ZOOmms’ Info Service, in which subscribers can see a brand’s SMS or MMS message as they do balance inquiry, load transaction or call the customer-service hot line. ZOOmms also has the jingle playback service, where customers can get a free text or call when they subscribe to a brand’s ringback tone. 

Then, there is the On-Site Text service, where customers can get preset messages as they enter a particular area like a supermarket or shop.

“We can also partner with content providers. We can source products for their campaign,” says Gabunada.

In the future, ZOOmms will have location-based product marketing. “If you’re shopping, for instance, in a department store, ZOOmms will notify a mobile user that our partner is selling its product in the store,” says Gabunada.

ZOOmms offers customized creative solutions based on the clients’ needs.

It has off-the-shelf solutions for clients to choose from. There is the text or image flash of a brand’s 160-character ad message.

There is also the text or the image reward coupon, wherein a brand can give a sponsored discount coupon or freebies in the form of text message or image plus text message. Rewards may be in the form of product samples, discounts or instant prizes.

Another possible marketing scheme is promotions, which enable a brand to do an on-pack raffle promo and using the product to submit entries. A brand can also conduct a poll or other voting activities.

Text capital

The Philippines has become famous for being the text capital of the world with an average of 1 billion messages sent daily.

Gabunada says this is a proof that mobile phone has become an integral part of the Filipino life.

“First, mobile marketing is verifiable, which means it can provide substantial proof that the message has reached its intended audience. Second, it is interactive.  Unlike traditional advertising formats, mobile marketing allows an advertiser to get an immediate response from consumers,” he explains.

“This happens every time consumers join a text promo, download a ringtone or special icon, or use the text message they receive to claim a freebie. 

“Finally, mobile marketing is precise.  It has the ability to reach a specific target audience easily,” adds Gabunada.

The 45-million-strong mobile-phone subscribers is a great potential for ZOOmms. And Gabunada believes good things are in store for the company, as it can tap a critical mass for marketing.

In today’s fast-moving society, instant access to information is essential. With mobile marketing, Gabunada says there’s no need to switch on the television, fiddle with the radio dial, or comb the newspaper for good deals. 

“With mobile marketing, the message is already in your pocket,” he says. “In other words, mobile marketing has a personal medium which the traditional medium does not have.”

Gabunada says he will definitely tap his ABS-CBN connections for his marketing initiatives. But it’s just the start.

“I am not only chasing the money I had with ABS-CBN because it’s a different league now,” he says.

“I will be happy for now if they give me 5 percent to 10 percent of their budget for mobile marketing,” he adds.

Innovator

His sterling credentials as innovative marketer and top management executive will be a valuable element in his evangelizing role of mobile marketing. 

With more than 20 years experience in marketing and business development, management consulting, research and business analysis, training and development, and public relations, Gabunada can easily reach out to the advertising community and tell them the benefits of mobile marketing.

Right now, Gabunada is a man on a mission. The veteran advertising and marketing man has done all the things in the industry had required.

With the emergence of mobile marketing, Gabunada is eager to try his hand in this new tool of marketing, which will set a new trend in the advertising world.

“Looking at my advertising career, the only thing that I wasn’t able to was selling mobile advertising,” says Gabunada.

“I got excited by this medium, because this is the future.”

Zooming ahead

After his early retirement as the senior vice president for integrated sales and marketing of ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp., Nicanor Gabunada Jr. is back in marketing as the president and chief executive officer of ZOOmms, a company that is pushing mobile marketing in the country.

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