Eonverye taht can raed tihs rsaie yuor hnad

One of those random, anonymous emails that you need to pass on. Read it like a book. Have fun.

To my 'selected' strange-minded friends:

If you can read the following paragraph, forward it on to your friends, 'yes' in the subject line .

Only great minds can read this

This is weird, but interesting!

fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too

Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can.

i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs forwrad it

Ano Sa Tingin Mo? (Perspectives from the 21st Philippine Ad Congress)

The TVC for the 21st Philippine Ad Congress (Nov. 18 to 21, 2009 in Subic)  features 4 perspectives of the same story as viewed by the 4 different characters: The Magician, The Assistant, The Stagehand and The Date. Then, a tragic and mysterious death. Of course,  the question is asked: Ano sa tingin mo?

Watch the 4 TV commercials by clicking the picture...

One of the repeated challenges for marketing in general, and advertising in particular is to be able to foresee and balance the different perspectives of every stakeholder, for there are many. You have the client company who pays for the ad production and airing, and their primary target market who they wish to communicate to. You also have the general public and the government who are not the intended receivers but are able to receive the communication anyway. You have the ad agency and production houses who create, design and execute the ad. Who comes first? Better yet, who comes last in the priorities? What do you think or ano sa tingin mo as the 21st Philippine Advertising Congress asks us to think.

There have been instances in the past when a critically acclaimed ad which won awards did not support the business results that the advertiser intended to have. Or ads which were really good and got the audience impact from its target audience but were vilified by a sector of the general public who just don’t understand or who have their own selfish interests to promote. Or an ad that was so downright disgustingly uncreative and bakya but left a lasting imprint on the consumer’s awareness.

The perspectives issue applies not only to advertising but to everyday life as well. For the victims of Ondoy, whose perspective should they believe more? The NDCC’s or the dam administrators’ or the PAGASA’s or their mayor’s fingers pointing to somebody else? To a victim, or more appropriately, to each survivor, does it really matter? All they will feel from now own is the cumulative effect of each view that left them with a life less whole than before the many daggers thrust into them without their knowledge and consent.

One story will always have different perspectives. Every perspective is important, some angles more than others, depending on the timing and occasion. Our role is to try to see all and then make the decision. What do you think?

Did You Know?

This video reminds me of Philip Kotter's contention that the 21st century is being shaped by globalization, technology and deregulation. I call it Converging Divergence. Do find out why...

Learn Marketing Strategy from TV commercials

A TV commercial represents the execution of a strategic marketing plan in as little as 15 seconds. Each detail is carefully planned and supports the brand image and unique selling proposition that a company wants to communicate to its audience. There is great value in reverse-engineering a commerial and discovering who the primary target market is and what needs, wants and demands are important to them, what is the product positioning and how it is supported by the marketing mix (price, product, promo, place) in the context of what competition is doing in that particular industry.

Here are select commercials used to promote persons, products, services, ideas and institutions.  Click on the Digital Video Library link on the right column of this blog or go to  http://bongdeungria.tumblr.com/

I Love Marketing Model is now on-line!

V47 I Love Marketing Model Created By Prof. Bong De Ungria

View more presentations from Remigio Joseph DeUngria.

Marketing H1N1: Contaminating Markets with Positive Flu

\Almost everybody, and his brother, knows about the perils of A(H1N1) virus. It is an worldwide pandemic that has just started and is poised to strike in a bigger way during its second wave. But what if there is such a thing as a Positive Flu? Something that brings goodness and benefits to everyone it contaminates? Assuming that there is such a thing, then what can marketing people learn about spreading this positive flu?
1. Spreading the flu is cheap. One contact is all it takes. Then, all the "infected" person has to do is to travel and meet other people. This has to be the "holy grail" of marketing communications- penetrating large markets at almost zero cost.
2. Children, the elderly, and sick people people are more susceptible to the "positive" infection than others. Effective marketing communications are designed to hit primary target markets.
3. It will take some time and a lot of money for those who want to oppose the flu to develop a vaccine. Marketing competitors can react but the first-to-market companies have considerable competitive advantage.
4. Over time, the positive flu mutates making it a stronger strain and unaffected by vaccines developed for earlier versions. Over time, the competitive scenario changes and only the strongest survive.
5. The flu and the marketing message thinks global and acts local. Both are generally universal and recognize no geographic, trade, political or social barriers.
6. Many people who have the flu are not aware they have it. Many of those who have it are not willing to follow the precautions to stop the spread of the virus. People who believe in certain marketing messages and are loyal to certain brands dont even know about it. Yes, being a facebook or twitter fanatic is a good example.
7. The flu and marketing messages affect a great part of society over a prolonged period of time- making people change the way they live. (Prof. Bong DeUngria, August 2009)

Magicjack Your Global Competitiveness (Outsmart, Outmaneuver, Outsource)

Is $19.95 per year for unlimited US calling from anywhere in the world a solution for you? If you pay more than this, then magic jack is a proven solution that is already out there waiting for you. See http://www.magicjack.com/.
I wasn’t sure about this. But, being a marketing innovator and early adopter, I bought a magic jack unit at Kohl’s department store during their 15% discount sale last week. My cost? $34 which already includes the $19.95 first year subscription. My benefit? A US based telephone number 262-643-5781 that saves me $160 a year and that I can use to call or receive calls from any US number from anywhere in the world with no long distance or fixed monthly charges. I thought I was already a smart entrepreneur when I used a vonage phone that cost me $14.99 a month ($180 a year) vs. the widely used phone services ($300 a year). I was right until I was “magicjacked”.
I believe that there is a “magicjack” type of solution for most business processes. In my first job with Unilever 21 years ago, the company was already outsourcing non-core processes like advertising, janitorial services, security, medical services and product delivery. To remain locally and globally competitive, Unilever started to develop systems to outsource manufacturing using licensed third party contract specialists and to develop strategic alliances with vendors. The results?- lasting competitiveness, streamlined operations, lower costs, better products to customers and the ability to focus on its core strengths.
My work in IRD LLC as Director for Business Development is to create magicjack type of customized solutions for business processes of US companies leveraging world-class infrastructure in the Asia Pacific. I build synergistic relationships that leverage time differentials, cutting-edge technology and cost innovation to produce breakthrough, global competitive advantage. Interested to know more? Call my US-based number 262-643-5781 or send email to josephdeungria@gmail.com. Zero cost to you. Breakthrough results inevitable... (Remigio De Ungria, May 2009)