Can the Philippines reinvent its negative brand image?

I love to put on lotion. Sometimes I’ll watch TV and go into a lotion trance for an hour. I try to find brands that don’t taste bad in case anyone wants to taste me. – US actress Angelina Jolie

Mistakes, scandals, and failures no longer signal catastrophe. The crucial thing is that they be made credible, and that the public be made aware of the efforts being expended in that direction. The "marketing" immunity of governments is similar to that of the major brands of washing powder. – French sociologist Jean Baudrillard

It might sound trivial in these times of truth commission/charter change de-bates or Garci tape/jueteng scandals, but shouldn’t the private sector and govern-ment objectively reevaluate, decisively repair and reinvent the once prestigious "Philippines" brand name?

Before, the name "Taiwan" conjured up images of cheap counterfeit products from that rebellious island province, now the "Made in Taiwan" brand has become reliable and trendy in IT and high-quality products like Acer Computers. South Korea used to be another cheap products mass producer, but now Samsung, Hyundai and other brands are beating even brands of historical archrival and former colonial oppressor Japan. Rising fast on the same dazzling route is China, which is now the undisputed world leader in low-cost mass market exports and fast progressing into developing homegrown brands and high-quality products. The Philippines should be next!

It is incredible how so-called leaders of our society have so irresponsibly and dastardly wrecked the good name of the Philippines in past decades. The country’s name has become unfairly synonymous with peace and order problems, people power uprisings, a weak peso, uncompetitive economy, non-stop brain drain, overseas manpower exports and even the Abu Sayyaf terrorist pests.

How come our leaders and most of us seem to consider it normal that Cebu is being marketed in Japan, Singapore and China as "an island in the Pacific" in order to disassociate itself from the negative branding image of "The Philippines"? Should we do something radical to change our country’s negative branding?

During the eras of my great-grandparents and grandparents, especially during the half-century golden age of American colonial rule, the Philippines used to be the most modern nation in Southeast Asia. Rizal Memorial Stadium hosted stars like baseball legend Babe Ruth and Pier 7 was the world’s largest. Even the name "Manila" was first-class, and associated with the world-famous brand Manila hemp for the best ropes and for high-quality Manila envelope.

The Philippines as a brand name used to be prestigious and cosmopolitan. It connoted progress and money in the American colonial era, with ethnic Chinese entrepreneurs much wealthier in pre-World War II Asia than their peers elsewhere. My forebears had Manila’s earliest American cars driven by uniformed chauffeurs and their sawmills had America’s finest woodworking machineries, while other ethnic Chinese storekeepers or coolie laborers in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand or Taiwan were probably riding water buffalos or bikes and struggling in backward places. The Philippine currency then had a high value and the richest Manila families even imported yayas from Hong Kong.

Now due to our uncompetitive economy, fewer job opportunities and corrupt politicians impoverishing our whole society, many ethnic Chinese youths of my generation have become overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) laboring in Taiwanese factories or have migrated to North America, similar to youngsters of Japanese immigrant families in underdeveloped and corrupt Latin American nations going back to their ancestral homeland Japan to do unwanted blue-collar jobs.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo herself faces a branding image crisis with a series of the most assiduous public relations consultants trying unsuccessfully to refurbish her public persona from a Nora Aunor to a "Mother of the Masses" campaign. How could she totally re-engineer her problematic brand image to gain more popularity?

I recommend that our leaders, including President Arroyo, should learn a few lessons from billionaire Richard Branson of the Virgin conglomerate. He has been hailed as the world’s greatest brand-builder and his Virgin has been acclaimed as the world’s first universal brand. Anita Roddick of The Body Shop cosmetics firm, Bill Gates of Microsoft, Ted Turner who founded CNN, and Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield of homemade ice cream fame – they all have become world-famous cultural icons. Branson’s newest business foray into the Philippines is through Virgin Cola, in cooperation with Lucio Tan’s Asia Brewery Inc. (ABI) and which ABI executive and Anvil Business Club past chairman and president Michael "Mike" Tan claims as "the sexiest soft drinks brand in the world."

According to Des Dearlove, here are some of the 10 success secrets of Richard Branson as the world’s ultimate brand-builder:

• Pick on someone bigger. Richard Branson said: "At Virgin, we have a strategy of using the credibility of our brand to challenge the dominant players in a range of industries where we believe the consumer is not getting value for money." For the Philippines, we should directly challenge our neighbors Thailand and Malaysia in the awesome tourism industry in a relentless crusade-like campaign instead of just puny or scatterbrained attempts at so-called tourism promotions. Deploy smart guerrilla tactics. In outsourcing and call centers, the Philippines should resolutely be the David to the Goliath of India and grab away world leadership with marketing savvy.

• Do the hippy, hippy shake. Self-made entrepreneur Richard Branson thrives on his informal and nonconformist style to push his Virgin global brand using hippie capitalism. He believes there’s more to money, he likes to dress down not just on Fridays, he always puts people first (he’s an original believer in people power – customers and employees), he likes to mix work and play, he innovates not imitates. President GMA needs this strategy to humanize her public image and make her more hip, less dorky.

• Haggle: Everything’s negotiable. Tim Jackson said Branson has "a street trader’s aptitude for negotiation, knowing exactly when to talk and when to stay silent, when to press his counterpart on a point and when simply to walk away." The Virgin tycoon uses good negotiating skills and charm, he doesn’t accept "no" or "never" or "impossible" for an answer, he talks softly but carries a big stick, he always seek out good professional advice, he always covers the upside, not just the downside risk.

• Make work fun. Alan Mitchell said Branson "captivates the public and his employees by the unexpected prospect of making the grey world of work sparkle with fun and excitement." He considers business as ultimately fun, which whets his almost insatiable appetite for work and success. Whether we are presidents of a republic, entrepreneurs or professionals or even housewives, let us view our vocations as fun. Branson not only makes his workplaces fun, he surrounds himself with talented people who are given freedom to be creative. His enthusiasm inspires his people and he makes business an exciting adventure.

• Do right by your brand. Branson said: "I believe there is almost no limit to what a brand can do, but only if used properly." He himself has emblazoned his Virgin brand and its red logo on a bewildering array of products and services from entertainment megastores to soft drinks, financial services, airlines, railways, clothes and bridal salons. His focus is to conjure an image of good quality, cheap prices and a trendy hipness for his Virgin brand. He describes his strategy as reputational branding rather than traditional product and service branding. He believes corporate and image reputation can be built up based on five key factors – value for money, quality, reliability, innovation and an indefinable but nonetheless palpable sense of fun.

• Smile for the cameras. Richard Branson is like the modern-day version of the amazing PR machine that was Cantonese Chinese "Mami King" Ma Mon Luk of 20th century Philippines. While other business tycoons or even politicians come across as pompous or overly self-important in mass media, the charming and spontaneous Branson radiates schoolboy enthusiasm and charisma. He also has a great sense of timing. President GMA needs this kind of PR savvy. The Philippines, as a tourism destination and investment site, needs this kind of PR genius and boldness to win over the world.

When a British Airways plane and crew were hostaged by Saddam Hussein before the first Gulf War, Branson offered British Premier John Major a Virgin aircraft to get them out and put it on 24-hour standby to do this mission. Just days after the late Princess Diana announced she would totally withdraw from public life to escape media pressures, she is shown on the same stage as Richard Branson to launch a new plane of the Virgin Atlantic fleet. Branson even sprayed the Princess with champagne and convinced her to pose in a red Virgin Atlantic jacket.

• Don’t lead sheep, herd cats. This strategy of Branson is summarized in this self-explanatory but wise quote from him: "Virgin staff are not mere hired hands. They are not managerial pawns in some gigantic chess game. They are entrepreneurs in their own right." He knows when to get out of the way to be a backseat leader, he acts as a catalyst for action and energy, he surrounds himself with talented and creative people, he encourages and orchestrates chaos, he’s always on the lookout for new opportunities.

• Move faster than a speeding bullet. Branson’s executive Rowan Gormley describes his boss’ decisiveness, saying: "He just says yes or no. He doesn’t spend valuable time farting about trying to convince a bunch of middle managers that it’s a good idea." He avoids paralysis by too much analysis, he does good market research, he streamlines decision-making, he gets plenty of help from others, he is not afraid to make mistakes. President GMA needs to act boldly, audaciously and take monumental risks in order to set the national agenda and take the bull by the horns. She should seize the initiative and bring our lethargic society out of stupor and self-destruction, forward into reforms and progress. Stop looking at popularity surveys. Stop consulting the low IQ Rasputins and pompous sycophants in her inner circle. Stop engaging only in politics, act like a heroic leader with lightning speed and thundering boldness. President GMA should move faster and save the Philippines from decline.

• Size does matter. Branson said: "Every time a business gets too big, we start a new one. Keeping things small means keeping things personal." This billionaire prefers to grow his own rather than buy other businesses, he prefers the uncluttered and simple style, he tries to make each Virgin venture separate and a stand-alone business, he spurns the idea of a huge corporate headquarters, he always takes time to listen and is always open to new business proposals from would-be partners.

• Never lose the common touch. Mick Brown said of Branson: "There’s this approachability about him, not like a pop star or other businessmen." How do we cultivate the common touch? Look at customers as your best consultants, treat everyone as equals, be what people want to be and don’t let them down, learn to listen no matter how great you think you are (even if true!), never let success or the trappings of power to go to your head and cloud your sense of reality. Many of the world’s truly great leaders and achievers were men and women of disarming humility – Jesus Christ, Winston Churchill, China’s greatest emperors, Albert Einstein, billionaire tycoons, war heroes, great artists, revolutionaries, trendsetters. Whether a besieged president, an entrepreneur, a corporate executive or a professional, we should aim for success without losing humility and the common touch.

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