adobo magazine Issue 64 | Page 89

TAMBULI AWARDS THE WORK 88 Pamela Takai International, talked about their company’s decisively gung-ho stance on their brand marketing—a surprising and refreshing approach about the cultivation of a culture of fearlessness in their organization. Embracing change and challenging themselves to go beyond the tried and tested, Takai presented case studies showcasing three of their brands and h ow, in their effort to make their brand count and make a difference in the consumer’s lives, they earned more than their expected share of respect and loyalty aside from shares. Her first example: the TangGaling Club, advocacy campaign designed to empower kids and allow them to get their hands into a real recycling activity by way of “Project Recyclass” where school kids collected Tang foil packs which were then made into plastic school chairs. The chairs were then donated to a number of public schools nationwide. “The message was simple: kids have the power to make the world a better place.” Takai was quick to point out that when brands and marketers commit to drive fearlessness, there is risk involved but there’s also much more to reap and she closed by enjoining everyone in the audience, “Be fearless!” THE HEART OF THE MATTER Sompat Trisadikun, Chief Creative Officer of The Leo Burnett Group Thailand, delivered his adobo magazine | July - August 2016 Sompat Trisadikun insights on how to connect with Thai consumers with his talk entitled “The Thai Family Way.” “In the past three or four years, we have been going through tough times. I think people need someone to touch their heart,” explains Trisadikun. He notes, “Most of you know that Thai people are really emotional. Thai people always think of their family first. We always think of our family first before ourselves. Thais are used to living together as a big family.” Sompat Trisadikun declares, “We equate the Thai family with a meaningful brand. Any brand that wants to be loved by Thais must learn the way to talk to Thai people.” PURPOSE-DRIVEN BRANDS Gone are the days when agencies and brands only get creative for the sole purpose of selling products. Millennials, who make up the majority of the purchasing population, unlike the previous generations, are now linking their purchase to social good. “The pace of change between generations is growing exponentially,” said Cheuk Chiang, Asia-Pacific CEO, Omnicom Media Group. “For brands to succeed, they have to have a very strong sense of purpose.” According to Chiang, any brand knows what they do and how they do it but not every great brand and great leader know why they do it. “In this day and age, for brands to survive, they need to have a very strong sense of purpose. Purpose-driven advertising is very important because millennials have a very strong sense of purpose and believe it’s the right thing for us to do,” emphasized Chiang. THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BRANDS Most responsible marketing or advertising practitioner trust their gut feel but still rely on research to guide their actions and decisions. Andy Greenaway, however, during his talk at the adobo-Tambuli APAC Conference, challenged this practice saying that during research, respondents give you answers that they think they’re looking for, thus, using research as a guide is like “using a yardstick to measure weight”. Instead, he believes that practitioners need to start looking at psychology and embracing some of its principles. Greenaway cited and showed video case studies of the retail brand Target and Stella Artois beer while he shared pointers on how he thinks brands can more effectively use their knowledge of psychology to gain or strengthen their foothold in the highly volatile and fickle market: be distinctive because it’s what gives you an edge, repetition worked during the Broadcast era and remains a powerful weapon until now, consistency is good so when you hit on a big idea, stick with it, in other words, be true to your DNA. In closing, he