Duterte: The right brand at the right time

It’s been 10 days since the election day and a lot of people are still shocked and amazed in a good way at how Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte captured the presidency with the least amount of time, budget, and preparation.  Compared to the other candidates, his announcement to run for the highest office came late. He filed his certificate of candidacy a few days after his rivals filed theirs. We can also say that since he has been reluctant in previous interviews, we can see the lack of budget most especially after he publicly announced he would not accept any form of donation from people who transacts with the government. This only means he and his team had to work with a budget relatively smaller compared to the other presidentiables. After seeing his campaign materials, most especially his television ads which are mostly testimonials, we can say their limited funds were put to good use.

In building brands, the importance of positioning is very essential. One has to look at the current climate in the market to see and to develop how to uniquely position the product. But more than the climate, the product itself must be believable and acceptable to the consumers. You cannot position a product on whatever position that you want if it is not believable and has no credibility.

When former President Cory Aquino passed away, the emotions were so high that we saw millions of people grieving together. The need to solve the corruption gave way to a new face. Then Senator Noynoy Aquino, who was quite a low profile politician, was propelled to the presidency because of his strong position to fight corruption and on his promise he would carry the legacy of his parents. So it all just fell into place. That is why people say the presidency is a destiny.  And just like a brand that has the momentum, it was difficult to stop.

Similarly, in this recent elections Mayor Duterte won the presidency with good positioning. He is known in Davao as a strong-willed leader who made substantial achievements in solving crime and corruption. He is quite street smart in the sense that he does not over analyze things and just gets things done on the basis of gut feel. This is important in brand marketing. While research is equally important, I see many successful people who do not even use research, but do extremely well based on gut feel.  But gut feel can only be successful if one is exposed to the right market.

This has been the case for Mayor Duterte since he has been exposed in Davao as mayor for so many years, people have accepted his character. From his appearance to the way he talks and answers questions, his cockiness and rough attitude. The way he dresses - folded sleeves or barong over maong jeans. No make up during debates and his simple hair style portrayed him as the product that can deliver on what he promises even without the glitz and glamour.

For all marketing experts, he is a product that matched the call of the majority at their time. We can admit that the country has done extremely well during PNoy’s time. His leadership has led to many good things such as financial stability, better governance, and less corruption which resulted in the generally upswing trajectory of the market and property prices. But undeniably, many of those in the bottom of the pyramid did not benefit. Especially those who are in the agricultural sector which comprise the biggest bulk in the economy and population. Many of our farmers and fisher folks are still living day-by-day, working their best to put food on the table.

Yes, employment has gone up, with the massive construction and investment in different industries. Yes, lives have improved, but not to those who cannot afford to own properties and stocks, or participate in the booming economy. Big corporations just got bigger. But members of the low-income communities continue to struggle. Growth was not inclusive. Therefore, it is a wake up call for many big and medium-sized businesses to really push for inclusive growth within our own ecosystem. It is about time we put more effort in helping those at the bottom of the pyramid.

For the past 11 years, this has been my calling together with other entrepreneurs - to help those micro and small entrepreneurs move up and be sustainable. We inspire and empower them to grow by imparting the right characteristics and values, and right knowhow and skills. Aside from MSMEs, we also inspire the youth to be enterprising. Poverty is not our destiny.

This is our only way to bring about inclusive growth. Through our mentorship programs which discuss many business topics such as franchising, finance, skill development, and many more, we hope to help more MSMEs. The Negosyo Centers created by Sen. Bam’s Go Negosyo bill will be effective if it can provide these mentoring services. Some of the big corporations are doing it already by having franchising opportunities, but there are a lot of business models that we need to develop for the micro and small entrepreneurs. The list of business opportunities, is long and the success of which can be done with the big brother-small brother approach. As big corporations help small businesses, we will be able to see those at the bottom of the pyramid move up and have a better life. By this, we solve poverty.

With Mayor Duterte as the president, we can say the programs for the MSMEs will be implemented and supported by his administration.