FOCUS - PHILIPPINES: Media specialists in Philippines in uphill battle for recognition

<p>Media specialism remains largely ignored by the Philippine </p><p>advertising industry. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>This is even though a growing number of Asia-Pacific markets now have </p><p>well-entrenched media agencies, just a few years after they formally </p><p>rolled out their operations. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>While more advanced markets like Hong Kong and Singapore have been quick </p><p>on the uptake, even nations like Thailand and China have seen a rapid </p><p>growth in media agencies. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The result is that media specialists in the Philippines have found </p><p>themselves in a steep uphill battle to gain recognition and acceptance </p><p>from not only their peers in the whole industry but more importantly </p><p>from the client side. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>MindShare Philippines managing director Jocelyn Mendoza-Galera said that </p><p>in all aspects of the media process - strategic thinking and planning, </p><p>buying, negotiations and implementation - there is a need for </p><p>innovation. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Predictability is more the norm than the exception and that there </p><p>appears to be little desire to make a difference. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"For example, the industry's investment in media talent is appallingly </p><p>behind its investment in creative people. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"We seldom, if ever, think of upgrading media personnel's knowledge and </p><p>skills, sending them abroad for instance, to learn new approaches and </p><p>media ideas that will soar in this market. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"The general thinking is that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. A pity </p><p>really, because media involves actual budgets that underwrite the </p><p>realisation of the creative and brand impact," Ms Mendoza-Galera </p><p>said. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>When it comes to being savvy in technology and software know-how, the </p><p>media in the Philippines as a whole is still in a catch-up mode with the </p><p>rest of Asia-Pacific and the developed world, she added. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>These days, the top media agencies are investing significantly in </p><p>software tools that help empower the communications planner and </p><p>buyer. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>This in-house proprietary software takes over a lot of the tedious </p><p>manual work, allowing planners and buyers much more time for strategic </p><p>thinking, the gathering of strategic insights, and the negotiation of </p><p>smart buys, Ms Mendoza-Galera said. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>However, she noted that despite the seeming resistance to change, all </p><p>was not lost. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"More and more, we see innovations in media executions: teasers, </p><p>programme portions, segment buys, programme merchandising, out of home </p><p>media, for example, supermarket carts, mall signages, soda cups, (all of </p><p>which represent) small but emerging media innovations that veer away </p><p>from the crowd". </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Traditional spot buys was also dead, she added, and replaced by cluster </p><p>offers, representing smart buys - package buys, interstitials, programme </p><p>merchandising and multi-platform approaches. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>But the impetus for these changes was more to soften the blow of rate </p><p>increases than anything else, she added. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>In order to stay ahead of the game, she said that it should be made </p><p>clear to all staff at all agencies that their commitment to a client's </p><p>business must be nothing less than total. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>When that happens, results normally reflect their commitment. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>That is, the thinking is well-grounded on client's realities and </p><p>concerns and solutions open up to greater visibility or impact for the </p><p>brand. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Ms Mendoza-Galera stressed, however, that clients tended to stay away </p><p>from controversy or crises in a media marketplace. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"How do you make them see the possibility of an opportunity in times </p><p>like these?" </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Clients nowadays are no longer content with merely waiting for solutions </p><p>to be offered by the agency; they are even trying to be more </p><p>proactive. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"They have gotten in on the act. They now ask, some even insist, on </p><p>being a part of the process. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>They are quite involved in the media task - all for a common goal - to </p><p>ensure brand ubiquity, which translates into brand awareness, and in the </p><p>long run, brand equity." </p><p><BR><BR> </p>