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The
traditional “big bang” marketing model still works for
some—even many—products and services, such as an upgrade
to an existing offering. But in order for a brand to
stick, for it to have real impact on our culture, it
better collaborate with its users. Specific information
does not set any lights to flashing or bells to ringing.
What it does is set prospects into motion. It starts the
activation that begins with questions and curiosity, and
then leads to sales and profits. It motivates and
convinces. It persuades many prospects through the brute
force of irrefutable facts.
When
managing director Paul Perez of the Grupo Sorbetero Co.
uses the term activation, it is relative to and measured
by profitability. It has nothing to do with awards or
compliments or pats on the back. If it’s not profitable,
it’s not creative. Maybe it’s pretty or funny, but
creative it isn’t if it doesn’t pull.
“We
strive to create communications by winning attention and
involvement, bring the spirit of the brand to life in a
distinctive way, genuinely motivate consumers, and
ultimately lead them to buy,” he said in an interview.
An
up-and-coming agency takes an inspiration from a
sorbetero. He moves around pushing a cart filled
with fresh, irresistible flavors—a mix of exciting
fruits of the season complemented by classic choices. By
simply ringing a bell, he is able to attract the
attention of customers young and old—inside city streets
and even in far-flung provinces—the epitome of a good
salesman. More important, the businesses won by the
agency are the substantial blue-chip clients and major
brands in almost every product line conceivable.
The
agency tries to provide clients growth via superior
integrated brand communications. Its strategy focuses on
accountable advertising.
“We
simply just don’t go for awareness, but we look for the
results. Everything is centered on brand activation.
Most of the campaigns that we make don’t scare us,
[even] those will be measured by our clients,” Perez
stressed. The agency has made significant progress with
its accounts, such as Meat and Livestock Australia, the
Coca-Cola Company, Smart Communications, Ginebra San
Miguel, Visa International, Greenwich Pizza, SM, HWRU,
HSBC and Project: Brave Kids.
The
entire creative process must be subjected to the
penetrating illumination of a competitive marketplace;
one does not allow shortsightedness, narcissism or
smugness. That marketplace is peopled by businessmen who
want your prospects to buy from them, your customers to
switch over to them, and everybody to believe you are
inferior to them. The Grupo Sorbetero Co., armed with
knowledge at the start, is able to be relatively
competition-proof by promoting value over price,
consistently maintaining its identity, allowing for
flexibility and knowing what to change if copied.
“When it
comes to consumers, we have a keen eye on how they
behave, what they need, what they’re looking for, how to
best talk to them, how to best influence their behavior.
When it comes to clients, we know their product like the
back of our head; we work toward being an ally by
earning their respect. When it comes to suppliers, we
understand their business, build a solid relationship,
and treat them as partners, not as third-party agencies.
When it comes to other people in the agency, we build
each other up, recognize each other’s strengths and
remain constantly open about areas for improvement,”
Perez said.
The
Sorbetero’s mindset: Most changes are in their favor and
deserve advance scrutiny. This mindset enlists the
cutting edge as an important ally in all advertising
battles. For that reason, the Sorbetero team always pays
attention to the cutting edge. The agency presents an
alternative paradigm to conventional marketing wisdom,
one that addresses such industry crises such as media
saturation, consumer evolution and the erosion of image
marketing.
“A good
sorbetero makes the noise even with the use of a
simple tool—the bell!” Perez concluded. Have you seen a
sorbetero lately?
New-generation cars inspire action
Up to
this point, we’ve been involved in the inspection of a
beautiful automobile. We know that when we turn on the
ignition key and listen to that promise of unbridled
performance, our pulses will quicken. We know that this
car will get us anywhere we want. We’ve got a detailed
customized map, designed expressly for our needs. It
shows us the best way to reach our destination. The mere
thought of that destination makes our eyes sparkle.
Here’s
where you learn about the headlines that get the engine
going, the copy that speeds you through traffic and to
the bank, and the graphics that add the elements of
style and dash to the ride. This is where this columnist
captured the new auto models that made their Philippine
debut at the recent second Philippine International
Motor Show (PIMS).
This
year’s motor show featured some of the glitziest vehicle
unveilings as member companies of the Chamber of
Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines (Campi)
pulled all the stops in elaborate presentations to
launch their latest offerings.
The
country’s biggest motoring event indeed gave wings to
advertising. The first is attention, because without the
cars, nothing in the event matters. Nobody will even see
the headlines, let alone the copy and graphics. The
second is awareness, which is one level from barely
being noticed, but beats the pants off inattention. The
third is attitude, which comes from the car’s identity
and describes how people feel about your product or
service. The fourth is action, which was the purpose of
the whole exercise.
The most
exciting thing during the opening salvo was when top
singing diva Regine Velasquez descended in a harness
from the ceiling of the massive Hyundai Asia Resources
Inc. display area, her thunderous voice filling the
11,000-square-meter World Trade Center exhibit hall
during the unveiling of an all-new luxury sedan and two
hatchbacks Hyundai officials described as “industry
challengers.”
REGINE
VELASQUEZ at the Hyundai booth
With
Velasquez and other dancers emerging from cocoon-like
canopies, Hyundai revealed the Genesis, a luxury sedan
powered by a 3.8-liter, six-cylinder engine; the i30
hatchback with a 1.6-liter power plant; and the tiny i10
with its fuel-thrifty 1.1-liter engine.
Noted
musician Jay Cayuca raised the heat on his violin as PGA
Cars slid the cover off the all-new Porsche Cayenne
Turbo S, a 550-hp, 4.8-liter eight-cylinder luxury
sports utility vehicle from the German carmaker.
Boasting of more power, the new Cayenne can do 280 kph
and sprint to 100 kph in 4.8 seconds.
Audi, in
an adjacent booth, showed off the sleek R8, a 420-hp,
eight-cylinder roadster whose first batch of 20 units is
soon to arrive in Manila’s ports.
Not to
be outstaged was Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp.,
uncovering the much-awaited iteration of the Lancer
Evolution X sports sedan. The Evo X is how Mitsubishi
defined power: 291 hp squeezed out of a 2-liter
lightweight turbocharged aluminum engine under an
aluminum hood. It’s a street racer’s dream in metal
form.
Mitsubishi also launched the 2009 Galant 240M executive
sedan with a 2.4-liter, 162-hp powerplant, and a
“concept” SUV derived from the stylish Strada pickup.
Dubbed the Concept MS, the new SUV will make its
Philippine debut end-August following its global launch
at the Moscow Motor Show today.
Mitsubishi’s main attraction was the iMiEV, which stands
for Mitsubishi Innovative Electric Vehicle. Still a
concept car, the minuscule hatchback showed President
Arroyo during her visit a glimpse of the shape of things
to come in the electric motoring age.
Toyota
Motors Corp. unveiled a new Land Cruiser powered by a
4.4-liter turbocharged diesel V8 and a six-speed
automatic transmission. Also showcased was a limited
edition of the bestselling Vios sedan decked with
17-inch wheels, high-intensity discharge headlamps, rear
spoiler and iPod interface. The branded version came
with exclusive floor mat and keychain.
Honda
Cars Philippines Inc. launched the all-new 2008 Jazz.
The second-generation Jazz featured a sleeker
cabin-forward design, drive-by-wire, and paddle shift
and 16-inch wheels on the 1.5-liter variant. The
1.3-liter model featured 15-inch wheels and a five-speed
automatic transmission.
BMW
publicly launched the X6 xDrive30d, a sleek, muscular
luxury crossover SUV powered by a 235-bhp, 3.0-liter,
six-cylinder diesel engine. Its newest SUV yet, the X6
joins the BMW X3 and X5 SUV lineup. The X6 came in three
variants, with a model powered by a V8 engine.
Suzuki
came up with a 2.4-liter version of the Grand Vitara
4x2, which was P300,000 cheaper than the 2.7-liter,
six-cylinder model. A four-speed manual version of the
Swift hatchback was also displayed.
Volvo
debuted its XC60 all-wheel-drive SUV powered either by a
2.4-liter, five-cylinder turbodiesel engine or a
3.0-liter six-cylinder twin-turbo gas. The
Scandinavian-designed XC60 is certified all-road
capable.
Kia
brought in a Sportage SUV demonstrator that runs on
electricity produced from hydrogen. The fuel-cell
electric vehicle can do 150 kph and has water only for
emission. Kia also launched an all-new SUV called the
Mojave powered by a 3.8-liter six-cylinder gasoline
engine.
Nissan
focused on entrepreneurship and launched a version of
the popular Urvan van that seats 21 people. Dubbed the
Pangkabuhayan van, the Urvan is being positioned
by Universal Motors Corp., its assembler, as the vehicle
for starting a business.
Isuzu
presented a mobile theater setup in the Alterra SUV.
Isuzu redefined auto entertainment by mounting a 32-inch
JVC LCD screen for the rear passenger. The setup,
however, does not come standard.
General
Motors brought in a collection of vehicles under the
Chevrolet badge that runs on alternative fuel. Displayed
were the Tahoe SUV and Malibu sedan hybrids, as well as
an Optra sedan that runs on compressed natural gas. GM
is considering offering the vehicles locally. Also
displayed were diesel versions of the Captiva SUV and
the Epica sedan.
Mazda
showed off its well-designed collection of SUVs with the
recently launched Mazda 6 and Mazda CX-9 crossover SUV.
Mazda boasted of its gasoline-powered engines capable of
taking in 20-percent ethanol using E20 fuel.
Ford
launched its all-new Escape SUV with new lights and
cleaner lines. The new Escape still carries a 2.3-liter
gas engine and automatic transmission with options for
four-wheel and two-wheel drive.
In a sea
of glitzy cars and skimpily clad promo girls, he stood
out and stole the limelight just by being one of the
fastest men on a machine.
Nine-time rally champion Stéphane Peterhansel spoke
before a throng of eager Filipino fans about his
experiences as one of the most successful drivers in the
history of the Paris Dakar Rally, considered one of the
most grueling and dangerous races in the motor sports
world.
The
40-year-old French rally champ admitted it will be
harder to predict what the future will look like for
motor sports. “The next decade will be different—with
new cars [being launched], new destinations that nobody
knows,” he said.
The
rally racing driver from France had won the Paris Dakar
Rally riding Yamaha motorcycles six times from 1991 to
1998 before leading Mitsubishi three times from 2004 to
2007. He competed in the Race of Champions in 2005 and
2006 and is also a two-time World Enduro Champion.
Peterhansel said much of his victory came from a lot of
mental preparation in every race. “It’s not a problem to
keep my motivation up. It’s always been my dream to
become a professional driver,” said the rally champ, who
does not see himself slowing down just yet.
“It’s
70-percent car, 30-percent driver,” he said when asked
what accounts for his victorious rally records.
When
he’s not on the racetrack, the French champ drives his
family in a Mitsubishi Pajero—which is “good for its big
space for my family’s stuff”—and loves to take the newly
launched Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X for a spin.
“It’s
not possible to follow this car,” he said, referring to
the Lancer Evo, which has a newly designed,
turbocharged, all-aluminum engine and a five-speed
manual transmission preferred in rallying.
Aside
from the Lancer Evo X, Mitsubishi Motors Philippines
also unveiled the electric car iMiEV and another concept
car that will soon make a debut in Russia. A total of
15 global auto brands participated in the second
Philippine International Motor Show. |
