Local firms urged to think global ahead of Asean mart

MANILA, Philippines - Philippine businesses should rethink their approach in marketing their products by looking beyond the local market in preparation for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Economic Community (AEC) which will be put in place by 2015, the Philippine Marketing Association (PMA) said.

In a press conference yesterday, Willy Arcilla, an awardee of the PMA’s Agora awards and head of the marketing and sales office of beverage manufacturer Refreshment Republic Inc., said businesses will need to start thinking about going global, with just two years left before the AEC is put in place.

“Businesses will need to think globally,” he stressed.

He said local firms are set to face tougher competition from products of companies overseas as tariffs are brought down to zero with the creation of a single ASEAN market in 2015.

“If you go to the grocery now, you will see products made in other countries like Malaysia so we have to prepare for the AEC,” he said.

The AEC is expected to create a region with free movement of goods, services, investment, skilled labor, as well as capital.

As part of preparations for the AEC, Arcilla said companies need to come up with a Filipino brand so that they will not just be suppliers of foreign firms but be able to directly sell their products in other countries.

Apart from creating a Filipino brand, he said companies will need to improve the packaging of their products to make it more appealing not just to Filipino consumers, but to foreigners as well.

He also said while the approach of most local firms planning to export products to other countries has been to focus on overseas Filipino workers, they must shift their attention on the mainstream foreign market to get more customers.

For her part, PMA executive vice president Luz Javier said local firms can also consider creating partnerships with other firms in the region in preparation for the AEC.

“Forming alliances will allow firms to capture the market more quickly,” she said.

To enable businesses to prepare for the AEC and take advantage of the country and the region’s positive economic performance, the PMA is scheduled to hold the National Marketing Conference on June 27-28 at the Marriott Hotel.

The conference, which aims to inform marketers of their role in the rising Asian economy, will feature talks, discussions as well as best practices from around the world.