Anthony Pangilinan and Jack Madrid:
Guest Speakers at the
John Clements 3rd Annual Sales and Production Conference
By Paul Catiang

The following article is based on the presentations given by the two guest speakers on July 7, 2006, at Clark Field, Pampanga.

INTEGRITY AND PROFESSIONALISM (click here to view the presentation)

From Good to Great

Good is the enemy of great. This is how Anthony Pangilinan, Chief Trainer and Consultant of Business Works, began his talk at the John Clements Sales and Production Conference. He said that most professionals cease to strive for greatness if their work is good enough. His advice is to not settle for what's good, especially when what's great is up ahead.

This is the core concept behind his talk on integrity and professionalism. A professional's dedication to doing the best job is the yardstick by which his integrity is measured; to one who's dedicated to nothing but the most excellent work, anything less would go against his integrity.

Mr. Pangilinan outlined his presentation in three propositions following the mnemonic ABFx3.

Accept Brutal Facts

The first of three points made, accepting brutal facts is a necessary step towards achieving greatness. It involves acknowledging the harsh realities of one's current situation, to ground oneself in facts before reaching for the stars.

“You cannot do what you were not designed to do,” Mr. Pangilinan said. “You cannot be a professional in an area where you were not trained in.” This is not to say that a professional should not seek further self-improvement, but rather to play towards one's own strengths before trying out new things. “How can you go where you want to go if you don't know where you are?” Mr. Pangilinan asked, stressing the need to define the starting point before starting off in a new direction.

“Teach yourself how to lose,” was the next piece of advice. Knowing how to lose includes accepting defeat graciously, being able to learn from mistakes and not losing heart and getting frustrated. “Winners know how to lose better,” he concluded.

Anticipate a Brighter Future

Once the brutal facts have been accounted for, the time comes to envision a better future. Having a vision is important at this stage, as it will sustain any efforts towards its achievement.

Act in Bold Faith

Acting upon one's vision comes last, where aspirations are brought from a goal in the mind's eye to something real and concrete. Acting in bold faith requires total dedication to a task, putting all of one's heart into it. Like Mr. Pangilinan said, “Don't ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go to that. Because what the world needs is a person who has come alive.” A professional who comes alive in the course of his job gives more than is required, doesn't settle for what's good enough, and constantly pursues what's great.

“It is incumbent upon each one of you to shine,” Mr. Pangilinan concluded.

PASSION FOR EXCELLENCE (click here to view the presentation)

Marketing through Entertainment

“In order to educate or enlighten, you must first entertain.” Jack Madrid, Vice President and Managing Director of MTV Asia, opened his presentation with this quote from George Bernard Shaw. His talk centered on three points: the lessons learned from marketing to Generation Y, trends in youth consumerism, and the impact of the New Media.

Mr. Madrid shared five lessons he'd learned in marketing to Generation Y. Lesson 1 was simple and straightforward enough: successful youth brands inherently respect the youth. Talking down to the youth or patronizing them doesn't work; they should be approached at their own level and be marketed to as equals. This leads to Lesson 2: tell them the truth; you can't lie to them or give them a marketing slogan. Today's youth has a taste for what's entertaining, and will not accept anything that fails to entertain them. Lesson 3 advises companies to exploit “kidfluence,” or the influence the youth has on consumerism. By making the youth identify with the product at an earlier age, companies can use kidfluence to their advantage. Lesson 4 focuses on building brand, which leads to building price. Building a brand name that the youth can aspire to will allow a company to set a price on its brand and reap the benefits of its marketing. Lastly, when the youth like something, they tell their friends about it. Given the numerous modes of communication available today—mobile phones, text messaging, instant messaging, email, to name a few—word-of-mouth tends to spread more quickly than before.

Mr. Madrid also discussed three major points on the impact of the New Media: relevance is crucial, personalization will be the key, and interactivity will be expected. The New Media will provide a specialized, interactive, and relevant experience for the youth to participate in, and the New Media will be the platform on which new marketing strategies will rest.