Profile... Socco plots fightback as Toyota hits speedbump

To be fair, Vince Socco’s reputation takes a little bit of getting used to. Ascend just a little bit in this industry and you can fling your weight — and perhaps even the occasional mobile phone - around with abandon.

But it is hard to find anyone with a bad word to say about the senior vice-president of marketing at Toyota Motor Asia-Pacific (TMAP), despite the unquestionable amount of marketing power that he wields. “He’s very affable and well-respected,” offers one agency source, while another’s comment — “He’s no different from anyone in business” - is about as venomous as it gets.

Socco’s genial demeanour is likely to be tested by some difficult months ahead for the car brand, which slashed its 2009 sales forecast by seven per cent — a rare blip in its global success story.

“The first thing we need to is guard against complacency,” says Socco. “We need to deepen and sharpen our understanding of where, how and when our target audiences go to market so we can maximise our media buys.”

Socco’s own understanding of Toyota’s media buys is likely to be comprehensive. Since he began his working life in 1979, his entire career has revolved around the company. The Filipino native is no Japanese salaryman, but it is not hard to spot the company’s famed consensual business strategy in his management style.

Still, that does not necessarily mean one should mistake Socco’s kindness for weakness.

“There’s definitely steel there,” says a source. “He can’t always be the smiling yes-man, but he does have a strong sense of fairness.”

In one sense at least, Socco’s relative humility makes him the ideal person to handle a tricky role. “Quite often in a regional capacity, you’re having to tread a fine line with the local operating companies, especially at Toyota,” says an agency source.

“He will applaud and encourage the operating companies. He doesn’t have the kind of ego that will get in the way.”

What Socco does bring, in spades, is passion for Toyota. It can get a little cloying: “I love Toyota. I love Lexus. I love marketing. I love people,” he proclaims. But it is hard to doubt his sincerity, particularly when he explains Toyota’s enduring success in Asia-Pacific.

“Getting to where we are was not easy,” says Socco. “It took a lot of hard work and an uncompromising respect for people. We like to say that we are a group of passionate perfectionists who cannot leave well enough alone. Well enough is not good enough. There has got to be a better way and together we will find it.”

Since beginning his career at the automotive brand’s Philippines dealership, Socco has ascended the ranks in a typically orderly manner, shifting to TMAP’s Singapore headquarters in 2001. For a non-Japanese in Asia, this remains an uncommon enough experience at Toyota, but it does mean that Socco brings a strong level of Southeast Asia insight.

“For a non-Japanese national to get to that position is pretty impressive, and unusual,” explains a source. “Toyota has realised that what works in Japan doesn’t necessarily work outside the country, so it has been smart to tap good local knowledge. It obviously values Vince pretty highly.”

On most topics, Socco opts for uncontroversial, if eminently sensible, responses. Agencies, he says, should be “strong advocates for change”, while clients “need to have the courage to change and try new things.”

Only when it comes to one issue does he rock the boat even a little, breaking with conventional wisdom about Asia to say that sustainability is “fast becoming a critical issue” in this region.

“Sustainability is not just about doing the right thing,” says Socco. “We need to stay ahead of the times by not only managing change but also leading the change. We are aggressively pursuing alternative fuel technologies and expanding our hybrid line-up.”

These sentiments are also likely to be tested if difficult economic conditions force environmentalism down the consumer agenda. Not that short-term concerns appear likely to sway Socco’s fundamental beliefs. “Marketing is a people business. It’s sometimes too easy to forget this and get sidetracked. At the end of the day, it’s not just about who makes the best cars; it is - more importantly - about who makes the best cars that meet the customer’s needs.”

Vince Socco’s CV

2007 SVP, marketing, Toyota Motor Asia-Pacific (TMAP), SVP Lexus Asia
2005 VP, marketing, TMAP
2001 GM, marketing services, TMAP
1988 SVP, marketing, Toyota Motor Philippines
1984 General affairs manager, Toyota Motor, Manila representative office
1979 Marketing services officer, Delta Motor Corporation