For many, juggling brands is a daunting and complex task. For Golden ABC’s newly-appointed marketing and communications director, Gino Cruz, it is ‘interesting’.
As he steps into his new role, what he looks forward to is helping sharpen ABC’s brands: Penshoppe, Oxgn, Forme, Memo, Regatta, and Bocu.
In this MARKETECH APAC feature, Gino unpacks how the market has moved more significantly and quickly, and how the ‘bigger slice of the fashion pie’ is not really getting bigger—just more competitive.
Calibrating multiple brands
When asked what aspects of brand strategies he looks forward to, Gino shared that helping the brand show up individually and collectively is a necessity. With intense competition at stake, ‘clarity really matters’.
“Each brand has its own history, customer, and role to play, which means a one-size-fits-all approach just doesn’t work,” Gino stated.
He described the task of switching from one brand to another as ‘switching personalities mid-sentence’, but is exactly ‘what makes it fun’.
“From a marketing and communications standpoint, the opportunity is really about calibration – making sure each brand is moving in the right direction, at the right pace, for the right customer,” Gino shared.
He also added, “I’m also keen to push how we use digital and data more meaningfully. It’s not just about reach or visibility, but about relevance.”
Adding to this, he stated that it has been a common narrative for customers to be more savvy when it comes to digital adaptation.
“The game now isn’t just about awareness; it’s about being present in those crucial moments, serving the right message wherever they are, and delivering on expectations fast,” he said.
He explained that this meant having the right ad at the right time—within the same day.
“Customers are always the king—and they’ll continue to build their own empire by choosing brands that keep up with them.”
In order to show up more efficiently, he also shared that AI and data are making marketers more precise. This, according to him, helps brands ‘show up at the right time, with the right message, to the right customer.’
Gino said, “When used well, data helps move communication away from broad messaging toward interactions that feel timely and useful.”
He added, “Technology, however, only works if it’s tied to clear outcomes. Using AI just to appear current doesn’t move the business. The focus has to be on better decisions, clearer storytelling, and reducing friction in the customer journey.”
He also described the business as a ‘brick and mortar’, a friction that creates an opportunity for them to create a truly seamless omnichannel experience.
“That goes beyond operations. It’s also about how we communicate campaigns, present products, and connect stories across physical stores, digital platforms, and owned channels—so the experience feels cohesive wherever the customer meets the brand,” explained Gino.
According to him, they also take Jim Collins’ ‘firing bullets before cannonballs.’ test-and learn approach.
He explained this as learning quickly and scaling on what works.
“And because the landscape keeps moving, how we adopt technology matters just as much as what we adopt. We ensure technology strengthens the brand experience rather than complicates it.”
He concluded, “In a landscape that moves this fast, the balance is staying relevant without chasing every trend. Having teams that combine experience and youth helps us make smarter calls on what actually matters to customers and what doesn’t.”
Strength in culture, connectivity, and creativity
Taking on the new role, Gino has two references: lessons he learned as a long-time marketer and the early opportunities he aims to accomplish.
“One thing I’ve learned over the years is that while there are differences between family-owned local businesses and multinational companies, in the eyes of consumers, those distinctions don’t really matter. What matters is the product, the experience, and how accessible and relevant the brand feels to them,” he narrated.
Additionally, he also underscored the importance of not overruling instinct.
“Some of the best and bold decisions I’ve made didn’t come from dashboards alone, but from experience, gut feel, and a clear point of view. In a world where AI and technology are becoming widely accessible, those human elements – creativity, instinct, and insight, are what make decisions bolder and brands more distinctive.”
He described this balance between data and gut as something he strongly believes and consistently brings into how he leads.
Equipped with this, he sees the opportunities attainable by staying deeply connected to how consumer behaviour is evolving.
“Golden ABC is a very young organization, with an average age of around 29, and working closely with that team helps me stay plugged into shifts in platforms, language, and expectations that directly shape how people discover and engage with brands today,” Gino shared.
Nonetheless, he and his team see the age gap as useful, as the ‘constant exchange’ allows new ways of thinking, which results in practical decisions: which apps to prioritise, ad formats that feel native, and which part of the customer journey matters most to Gen Zs and younger Millennials.
“I joke that I’m already over 40 and hanging on to the last bracket of the Millennial segment. The challenge, of course, is speed. Consumers expect brands to show up in the right moments and move just as fast – whether that’s content, messaging, or even same-day product access. That pressure is felt across every touchpoint,” shared Gino.
From here, he shared that the opportunity is making sure that stores and digital work, works seamlessly together. One that creates experiences that are both emotionally engaging and frictionless.
“Coming in relatively as an outsider—and just about a month in—one of the first things that stood out to me is the strength of the people and the company’s family-oriented culture. There’s a real sense of ownership and pride in the work, which matters. You can have big ambitions, but without people who care and are willing to improve, it’s hard to build anything that lasts,” narrated Gino.
This new post, for Gino, means driving world-class strategies and executions, from how they position their brand, how they communicate, activate, and show up across channels while staying grounded in who they are and who their customers are.
“Ultimately, my goal is to help build teams that are agile, learning-driven, and globally minded—people who don’t just execute well, but constantly raise the bar. When you combine strong culture with world-class ambition, that’s when brands earn the right to compete on a bigger stage.”
As Gino settles into his role at Golden ABC, his vision is clear: to harmonize strategy, technology, and human insight to create brands that resonate in a fast-moving, competitive market.
By combining data-driven decisions with instinct and creativity, he aims to craft seamless experiences that engage customers across both physical and digital touchpoints. With a strong team and a culture rooted in ownership and pride, Gino believes that the company is poised to not just compete, but thrive—earning its place on a larger, global stage.
