Branding destinations ‘tough work’

By Mia A. Aznar

Sunday, August 12, 2012
OUT of all the brands that need to be developed, destination branding is the most challenging, a branding expert said.
Jonathan Bernstein, executive director for brand strategy of Interbrand Singapore, said many people confuse a brand for a logo, a tagline or an advertising campaign.

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For Bernstein, a brand is a reputation. “Everything you do will build or take away from your reputation.”
And after working in branding and marketing for over 15 years, Bernstein said that branding a place is much harder than developing a brand for a product.
With products, Bernstein said companies only need to show the economic value for the consumer. But with places, he said things are much more complex.
He explained so many things influence a destination, such as food, heritage, history and the people while there are many things beyond the control of the brand developers.
Bernstein said those who want to develop a destination brand have to get to the heart and spirit of a place.
He cited the case of Finland, which took about two years to find out what made themselves different. They decided that Fins liked to face a problem head-on and came up with the idea that Finland will be the problem solvers of the world by 2030. He said this works because this was the truth about Fins.
He noted that it is not enough to attract tourists, but determine the kind of tourists it wants based on the infrastructure and policies it sets.
He said that all stakeholders have to have a shared vision, which is the tricky part because they often have competing agendas.
In Melbourne, they let all stakeholders participate and they placed an M monogram that they designed on their own.
Bernstein said a brand helps to hold everything together and will serve as a guide for the long-term, medium-term and short-term direction a place wants to take.
Because many cities compete for the same things, Bernstein said it is important to highlight what is different. “You need to know the difference between a Philippine beach and a Thai beach.”
For him, a destination brand improves civic pride and encourages the locals to participate. It also creates opportunity for investment and tourism promotions.
He said it takes time to come up with an effective destination brand but coming up with a brand logo is e first step and it usually takes six months.
He also said that he never brands something based on first impressions.
Bernstein was one of the speakers at the recently concluded One Cebu Business and Sustainability Summit.

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on August 13, 2012.

Carnival vibe highlighted at the soon-to-rise Rio Tower

Tuesday, 07 August 2012 15:27

ANOTHER upscale residential development along E. Rodriguez Sr. Avenue in Quezon City is set to make condo living a richer experience. The Rio Tower, which is the third installment of Federal Land’s The Capital Towers, promises a carefree and vibrant lifestyle in the tradition of one of the world’s most festive cities.

Inspired by Brazil’s Mardi Gras city of Rio de Janeiro, the Rio Tower replicates the celebratory mood of the famous Carnival by giving homeowners, their relatives and friends continuous fun and excitement whether they are inside their luxurious condo unit or in the indoor and outdoor amenities.

“The Rio Tower, just like the Rio Carnival, is a symbol of people coming together and enjoying each other,” said Federal Land President Alfred V. Ty.

Rio has its own amenities on the seventh floor that guarantee residents and guests zero boredom. The swimming pool and poolside deck bring out the resort-type spirit by offering relaxation or serving as a party venue.

There’s also a function room, which can accommodate a family gathering. Children can have fun all day in their own play area while adults can enjoy billiards and table tennis in the game room.  Other first-class amenities are a jogging path, gym, day-care center, commercial arcade and view deck.

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Rio’s 23- to 26-sq-m studio units; 36- to 39-sq-m one-bedroom units and 41- to 42-sq-m two-bedroom units are perfectly snug and functional for startup families or professionals. Each Rio unit has a bedroom, living and dining area with laminated wood plank flooring, while the kitchen, toilet and bathrooms have ceramic tile floors.

At 42 stories tall, the Rio Tower affords high-zone residents a view of Antipolo in the east, Manila Bay in the west, northern Manila in the north and the Makati skyline in the south. There are four elevators to serve all residents. The building is also equipped with an automatic fire suppression system, fire detection alarm system, emergency power generator and sewage treatment plant.

Location enhances the Rio Tower’s festive offerings with bar-hopping and gig-watching options in the nightlife strip of nearby Tomas Morato and Timog avenues. Shopaholics also have easy access to the Gateway and Ali Mall in Cubao and the Greenhills Shopping Center in San Juan. Everything else is near, from hospitals to schools.

The Rio Tower will be the culmination of The Capital Towers, which comprises two other residential buildings perched on podiums: the Athens and Beijing. The Athens Tower has been completed, while construction of the Beijing Tower is currently in full swing, which is scheduled for completion in 2013. The 35-story Beijing Tower is also offering bigger units and the innovative myHOBS concept or units that can be converted into a home, an office or a shop.

The Rio Tower is scheduled for construction by mid-2013 and is targeted for completion in 2016, when Rio de Janeiro in Brazil hosts the 31st Olympiad.

www.thecapitaltowers.com.ph

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In Photo: Façade the Rio tower (perspective)

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July inflation hits six-month high

Wednesday, 08 August 2012 21:58 Jun Vallecera and Max V. De Leon | Reporters

FOOD and energy prices kicked higher in July, far more than most analysts had expected and helped lift inflation averaging 3.2 percent during the month.

Analysts at Security Bank, for instance, had anticipated the July inflation to average no more than 3.1 percent as they plotted its path to rise by only 0.3 percent also during the month.

The previous June, inflation rose by 0.5 percent from a month earlier.

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At the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, BSP Governor Amando M. Tetangco Jr. said the July inflation was well within the range forecast for the month.

“While there was an uptick from the previous month, the rate remains close to the lower end of the target range for 2012,” Tetangco added.

Inflation forecast for the month ranged from 2.6 percent up to 3.5 percent.

Tetangco said the uptick in inflation “bears watching” if only to discover both the “duration and extent of the up move.”

According to the BSP governor, the BSP remains convinced that inflation would remain manageable over the next few months and saw no reason to change the inflation forecast for the year averaging 3.1 percent.

He earlier said inflation, or the rate of change in prices, was likely to moderate over the next 24 months when it should average between 4 percent and 5 percent.

This compares with original forecast of 3 percent to 5 percent.

The 3.2-percent inflation in July was higher compared to 2.8 percent in Jun, but lower from the year-ago inflation rate of 4.9 percent, the National Statistics Office (NSO) reported.

“This was due to higher annual increments registered in all the commodity groups, except those in clothing and footwear, health, transport and education indices,” NSO said.

This was the highest rate of increase in the average price of a standard basket of goods and services being consumed by a typical Filipino family since January, when headline inflation hit 4 percent. But the NSO said that if the more volatile food and energy items were excluded, July’s inflation would be 4.1 percent.

This core inflation (minus food and energy items) of 4.1 percent in July is higher than June’s 3.7 percent.

Headline inflation reflects the changes in the cost of living based on the movements of the prices of items in the basket of commodities and services consumed by the typical Filipino household. On the other hand, core inflation measures the change in average consumer prices excluding certain items in the consumer price index  with volatile price movements.

The statistics office said headline inflation in the National Capital Region (NCR or Metro Manila) jumped to 3.1 percent in July from 2.2 percent in June. Except in clothing and footwear, health, transport, communication and education indices, all the commodity groups posted higher annual gains.

“Annual inflation in areas outside NCR grew 3.2 percent in July from 3.0 percent in June. It resulted from higher annual upticks in the indices of food and non-alcoholic beverages; housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels; furnishing, household equipment and routine maintenance of the house; and recreation and culture,” the office added.

On a month-on-month basis, the agency said inflation decelerated to 0.3 percent in July from 0.5 percent in June. “Price increases were observed in food items like rice, meat, fish, vegetables and sugar. However, this was tempered by the downward price adjustments in cooking oil, [select] condiments and seasonings, gasoline and diesel.”

The “food alone index” increased by only 2.2 percent on an annual basis in July, which prevented a higher adjustment in the inflation rate.

“The annual growth in the rice index moved up 0.5 percent in July from -0.3 percent in June; corn index, 5.6 percent from 5.5 percent; meat index, 1.0 percent from 0.8 percent; fish index, 6.7 percent from 6.6 percent; milk, cheese and egg index, 3.4 percent from 3.3 percent; and fruits index, 7.5 percent from 7.2 percent. A slower annual hike, however, was observed in food products not elsewhere classified index at 1.4 percent from 2.4 percent,” the statistics office said.

The annual movements in the other food groups were either negative or remained at their previous month’s rate, with the index for vegetables registering a zero-percent annual rate from June’s 1.2 percent.

Meanwhile, the NSO reported that the average prices of goods released by the manufacturing sector in June fell by 2 percent. This is based on preliminary results of the monthly Producer Price Survey.

“The downtrend was influenced by the double-digit decreases posted by three major sectors, namely, furniture and fixtures [-14.8 percent]; basic metals [-14.1 percent] and non-metallic mineral products [-13.5 percent]. On the other hand, four major sectors posted increases, led by rubber and plastic products [6.0 percent], while publishing and printing showed a flat growth,” the office said.
The NSO generates the Producer Price Index through results of the Producers Price Survey conducted nationwide. The survey gathers monthly actual producer prices of select products included in the market basket.

On top of moderating prices, interest rates were also seen moderating during the period in keeping with global trend in which most central banks adopt a more accommodating stance to optimize growth.

“Over the next two to three years, we see inflation settling at between 3 and 4 percent. We don’t expect a pickup in the inflation rate, and that’s why we are also projecting a low-interest rate environment,” according to Tetangco.

Tetangco effectively said that monetary policy should remain price-friendly for businesses and home buyers over the next 18 to 24 months when the impact of the BSP’s more recent policy actions, such as the 25 basis-point reduction on July 26, would begin to be felt in the market.

Lot 8 to be completed by December

By AJ de la Torre (The Freeman) Updated August 11, 2012 12:00 AM 

CEBU, Philippines - After a successful groundbreaking activity last January 13, 2012, Lot 8 Condominiums is now 80 percent sold.This was revealed during the topping off ceremony of Majestic Legacy Home Development Corporation’s flagship project, Lot 8, located at P. Almendras Extension, Kasambagan, Cebu City.             
Instead of traditional topping off activities, the management opted for a unique way to feature the new phase of their project. It was through the champagne tree where the management symbolically dug soil to a plant in order for them to show their goal to preserve the environment in their projects.       
Lot 8 is a 15-story residential condominium offering studio, one bedroom and two bedroom units at very affordable prices.   
Jocelyn Dy, Vice President of MLHDC shared of how ecstatic they are of the project which is just four months away from its target completion on December. The units will be formally turned over on the first quarter of 2013.

BPO boom continues to fuel Phl economy

By Ehda M. Dagooc (The Freeman) Updated August 10, 2012 12:00 AM

CEBU, Philippines - An economist said that the recent closure of one call center company that affected over 600 workers should not cause an alarm for the entire Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry in the Philippines, particularly in Cebu.
“What happened was only a ‘drop in the ocean, it’s extremely exceptional. What is 600 people to a total of more than half a million working for the BPO industry. It’s [definitely] a peculiar problem,” said economist Bernardo Villegas.

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Villegas downplayed impressions that what recently happened, where in an American-based call center Direct Access Corporation dismissed more than 600 call center agents for the reason of bankruptcy after a year of operation in Cebu.
“Don’t worry about what happened recently,” Villegas assured Cebuanos, saying that the BPO industry will continue to fuel the economy of the Philippines, while the United States and Europe are still facing fiscal crisis.
“The BPO growth [in the Philippines] is being driven to a great extent of the trouble in US and Europe. Precisely, they are facing weak market,” said Villegas of the University of Asia & the Pacific (UA&P).
Unless these countries can solve their problems, there will be continued increase of BPO investments in the Philippines, and other BPO destinations in the world, he said.
On the other hand, he warned that the Philippines will not settle on its laurels in attracting BPO investments, specifically in voice-related services, while other countries, like China are now doubling their efforts in providing good English learning facilities for its people.
He said while the Philippines excel in English proficiency, this will not sustain the growth of the BPO. The Philippines has to move up, in attracting the Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO).
“If we depend on voice we are going to lose that competitive advantage,” he said emphasizing that the Philippines has to focus on KPO in order to strengthen its strength in the outsourcing sector.
He said despite the problems that hit the huge outsourcing sector from time to time, such as closure of some operations, it will never be considered as a threat to the entire sector.
In fact, according to Villegas the BPO sector is the second key seven industries in the Philippines, based on the survey conducted by the Joint Foreign Chambers entitled “Arangkada Philippines 2010: A Business Perspective.
 In a report released by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA-7), Cebu’s IT and IT enabled services, including BPO activities, continued to expand in the region at an average of annual rate of 20 percent.
In Cebu, which is the IT/BPO hub of Central Visayas, the number of IT/BPO service providers grew by 2040 percent for the last 11 years, or from four companies in the year 2000 to more than a hundred companies as of 2011.
With the escalation in the number of providers, Tholons has ranked Cebu as the 9th emerged outsourcing destination in the world.
Because of Cebu’s confidence to do more, stakeholders are now working on effective strategies how to increase its rank, going up to the 5th place outsmarting the top five emerged destinations, most of them are cities located in India.
 In 2011, the IT/BPO industry saw the entry of new providers as well as the expansion of the physical and manpower resources of existing providers.
By end of 2011, the total workforce of IT/BPO companies in the region was estimated at more than 65,000.
This number continues to expand as IT/BPO companies account for 40 per cent of positions posted in a jobs listing website in 2011. (FREEMAN)