Hitting the target market

Imagine playing darts with your eyes closed, or throwing a basketball wearing a blindfold. In both cases, your inability to see your target would make it nearly impossible to hit it. Doing business without knowing who your target market is will prevent you from reaching your objectives, whether they are increased sales, market share or brand awareness.

For a business to be successful it must properly identify its target market. While that may seem obvious, it is amazing just how many sane, intelligent business people have not taken the time to seriously think about it.

In developing a marketing strategy, one of the first basic questions asked is: "Who is your target market?" All too often, the reply is "everyone." This simply is not true, it’s unacceptable. No business has "everyone" as a target. It may seem like some do at first glance, but it is not really true.

Al Ries and Jack Trout, famous authors of the bestselling book on positioning, said, "as business becomes global, you’ve got to narrow your focus to a specific segment of the global market. And, carrying it one step further, you’ve got to try to own a single word in the mind."

Exactly. One can’t be too fuzzy. And that’s what often happens. A lot of businesses get themselves too confused, too diversified, too spread around. But one has to stand for something. One has to stay positioned clearly in the mind of a well-defined target market segment.

Ad Congress Theme Puts Market On Target

Given this call for intensified focus, new concepts are needed to help marketing and advertising people manage brands with strategic precision, aiming the brand and its story to the right target people at the right time.

Thus, the theme of the 17th Philippine Advertising Congress (PAC) from November 22-24 at the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu City is "Target: Market Asintado sa Pinoy Ngayon. As Noy Dy-Liacco, chair of the 17th PAC, says, "The congress will zero in on the consumer, who after all, is the end-all and be-all of what we do. No matter whether we manufacture the product, provide the service, create the advertising, produce the campaign, air the commercial, print the ad, put up the billboard or measure the results – as long as we are part of this entire communication plan, everything that we do boils down to one simple idea – to delight the consumer."

Advertising Luminaries

Congress activities will be officially opened by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The Lady CEO of the land is expected to deliver a high-power call to the advertising industry to actively participate in re-invigorating the Philippine economy.

The congress theme will be fleshed out by a list of local and foreign adverising luminaries. Dr. Paul Temporal, a global expert on brand creation, development, will talk about "Romancing the Consumer." Temporal is well known for his practical and results-oriented in spurring annual profit increases for many clients. He authored several books on branding such as Corporate Charisma, Strategic Positioning, Branding Asia, and Hi-Tech, Hi-Touch Branding.

Tim Tyler, founding chair and managing consultant for Peppers and Rogers Group Asia, will share his ideas on "one-to-one marketing." Tyler has been involved in the management of several Asia-based companies since the early 80s, harping his strength in strategic consulting. On the creative front, Akira Kagani of DYR Japan, will talk about "Creativity: The Asian Perspective."

Local research experts will likewise share their expertise in the PAN-hosted congress. Among them are Fidela Zaballa, president of Feedback, Inc., who will discuss "The Emerging Gray Market,"; Raul Juan Esteban, managing director and COO of Philippine Survey and Research Center (PSRC) who will talk on "Dollar Earner, Peso Spender, a dissertation on how the OFW family spending pumps the local economy, and the spending patterns of a huge segment; Alicia Pascual, regional managing Director of Audit and Surveys Worldwide and Azucena Barredo, executive director of AC Nielsen Philippines complete the list of research gurus who will provide updates on very specific and focused target segments.

Client, brand, and IT-based speakers will include Virgie Ramos, president of Gift Gate, Inc.: Regina Navarrette, VP-marketing of Jollibee Foods, Inc., and Manny Escosa of Pacific Internet. Showbiz personalities Boy Abunda and Johnny Delgado will lead a discussion on "What Makes Box Office Hits and Top Rates," or "Paano Ba Magpapatok?"

Students Forum

A special feature of this year’s congress is a communication arts students forum to be held in Cebu Plaza Hotel, where future admen and current hotshots get to meet and exchange views. The forum will be highlighted by the presentation of Raul Castro, executive creative director of Lowe Lintas, on "Creativity in Motion," or "How Marketing and Advertising Objectives Meet in Harmony." Success cases on what really works in the Philippine market will cap the interaction.

The congress will be capped by the Araw Awards Night, a tribute to the country’s best advertising on print, radio and TV. The event, as in previous Araw Awards, promises to be fun and entertaining.

Power speakers await the delegates to the 17th PAC, which as of this writing has already reached 1,300. The congress executive committee is urging all industry, academe would-be-delegates to call the Ad Congress secretariat at 818-61-58 to sign up for the last 200 seats to hit the 1,500 target.