Like the tale of the blind men and the elephant, different people see the role of marketing differently. Some feel that it revolves around things like good advertising, media exposure and influence. Others feel it revolves around creating word-of-mouth among customers. Still others feel that the higher purpose of these interactions are powerful brand building tools for creating marketing activities that engage these customers—if shaped, influenced and managed with purpose.

Rather than simply creating advertising campaigns, Lowe Manila uses multiple channels that go beyond disseminating an organization’s brand message to make sure the organization is living this message in its interaction with its customers. These interactions are conceptual, sensory, experiential or virtual in nature. Lowe Manila shapes interactions through high-value ideas and context planning, as well as influences conceptual interactions through advertising that captures the imagination.

“A good manager is transitioning [an organization] from doing traditional to expanding other channels, to include nontraditional. If you’ve been creative in one, you can also be creative in the other but you have to change the perspective. You might miss out reaching other people if you’re [just] focusing on one,” pointed out Ma. Elizabeth “Mariles” L. Gustilo, president and CEO of Lowe Inc., a member of Lowe Worldwide, in an interview.

For anyone fascinated by advertising-as-culture, I recommend an afternoon watching a NASCAR Sprint Cup race on TV. I also prescribe an overstuffed chair and a bowlful of M&M’s mixed with NoDoz.

One Sunday, during an interminable 400-miler from Dover, Delaware, I saw a commercial that made me sit bolt-upright in my Barcalounger, an ad that in its innocence and whimsy and desire for eyeballs would destroy one of the most valuable illusions of advertising.

It can be easily—and mistakenly—identified with Facebook and other social-networking sites, but Oneline.ph targets a different breed of individuals.

Launched last week during a Dialogues@Starbucks session at the coffee giant’s 6750 branch, it hopes to be the venue of “altruistic creativity” for groups and individuals who want to share their ideas and work.