Tag: Philippines

Manila, Philippines – Live-streaming platform kumu in the Philippines has welcomed a new chief product officer, Crystal Widjaja, the former chief of staff and senior vice president of growth at Indonesia’s Gojek.

Currently, Widjaja is the entrepreneur-in-residence at e-learning company Reforge. Prior to joining Reforge, she led a team of engineers, analysts, and product managers in Gojek, and was responsible for growing orders from 30,000 to over 5 million per day. 

In her new role, Widjaja will be leveraging her extensive experience in helping startups with growth, data, and strategy, alongside bolstering the platform’s overall product strategy. 

Commenting on her appointment, Widjaja said that she is honored to join kumu and take on its mission of building the largest participatory social network in the world. 

“For us, the ultimate goal is to be there and provide authentic connections when you’re bored, lonely, or feel disconnected. I’m thrilled and inspired to see how we become a larger part of the world’s everyday life, and the friendships we make along the way,” said Widjaja. 

Meanwhile, kumu’s Founder and CEO Roland Ros commented that they are absolutely delighted to have Widjaja as part of the kumu family. 

“With our commitment to building kumu as the best place for content creators to engage and scale authentic communities, we believe she is the transformational partner that we need to get to the next level,” said Ros. 

Rexy Dorado, the president and co-founder at kumu, said, “Our people are the most important part of kumu. With this new wave of world-class leaders, we believe we can build a product and company that raises the bar not just in the Philippines, not just in the region, but the entire global community.”

Just recently, the platform has just also announced the appointment of Alex Tshering, the new chief growth officer.

Manila, Philippines – As part of its Asia-Pacific campaign, soft drinks brand Pepsi and creative agency in the Philippines BBDO Guerrero have teamed up in a latest campaign that transformed Pepsi’s soft drink cans into light sticks bearing the colors and figures of popular K-pop group BLACKPINK.

BLACKPINK was unveiled as the brand ambassador in the Asia Pacific region in January this year, following thereafter the launch of the limited-edition Pepsi cans that bore each of the group’s members images namely Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa.

The campaign, launched through augmented reality (AR), is activated through a custom Instagram Stories filter, where the cans transform into the Pepsi BLACKPINK Light Sticks—giving every fan a chance to finally own a light stick and cheer for their favorite girl group.

It also comes with its own K-pop music, so fans could wave their light sticks and dance like they’re in a BLACKPINK concert. Thousands of Pepsi cans lit up during its launch, lighting up the spirits of all BLACKPINK fans stuck at home.

Pepsi-Blackpink-Campaign-BBDO-Guerrero-1

“When we announced BLACKPINK as Pepsi’s newest brand ambassador, we wanted fans to have the full fandom experience especially at a time where concerts aren’t the way they were before anymore. We’re very happy that BBDO Guerrero was able to deliver this,” said Mikey Rosales, marketing director at PepsiCo Philippines.

Said campaign has garnered 2.56 million engagements on Instagram, attesting to BLACKPINK’s massive popularity among its fanbase in the Philippines, one of the biggest and most passionate K-pop fandoms worldwide. 

The campaign’s launch also has a functional facet, resolving the issue of donning light sticks which are an essential part of any K-pop concert-going experience. Normally, a real commercial light stick costs at least US$40, a price most fans can’t afford. 

“We’ve seen more opportunities open up in the digital space as we went into lockdown. And this Instagram filter is something that our team developed to show how existing technology can be made into something that our clients’ fans can enjoy,” said David Guerrero, creative chairman at BBDO Guerrero.

This is not the first time Pepsi has utilized AR technology for its other campaigns, as its Malaysian arm recently partnered with Entropia EXR to to launch a concert in a Pepsi bottle, which featured Malaysian singer and actress, Siti Nordiana (Nana), together with the winners of its #PepsiBoldTalent TikTok challenge.

Manila, Philippines – With the taboo belief of consuming alcohol and tobacco products now vanishing due to the open acceptance in our modern society, the alcohol and tobacco industry has since thrived in the Philippine market, as media intelligence company Isentia notes in its latest report how the so-called ‘sin’ products are perceived in the social media space.

In the bigger realm of the alcohol scene, recent buzz about alcohol drinks can be attributed to the rise of brand endorsements represented by K-pop artists and K-drama personalities. For instance, when South Korean beer brand Kloud Beer announced that K-pop boy band BTS were to represent the Lotte Chilsung-affiliated brand, Filipino ‘ARMYs’ or BTS fans took to social media to express anticipation for the announcement.

Isentia notes that a total of 1,761 social buzz was recorded on 15 April, the day the brand ambassadors were announced, and a total of 1,362 social buzz on 23 April when Kloud Beer released a short promotional video showing all of the members of BTS.

Social buzz pertains to the keyword or ‘trend’ frequently mentioned by social media users in a day. The social buzz used by Isentia are based on their existing Isentia Workspace, as well as Google Trends statistics.

Aside from garnering a high traction in April, the keywords ‘chicken and beer’ also dominated the social media space, possibly attributed to the well-known chicken combination of ‘chimaek’ which is a colloquial word of chicken and ‘maekju’ (beer in Korean).

“Considering the current health crisis and the rapid changes in consumer behavior specific to the industry, it is important now more than ever to not just be aware but have the numbers to back decision-making in communicating brand messages and fortifying the brand-to-audience relationship. It is not enough to know the issues. Knowledge gained from observing buzz peaks, determining breakout conversations, and deciphering social trends equips brands with data they can use to maximize media space they exist in,” Marla Edullantes, senior insights analyst at Isentia Philippines, said.

Veering away from the K-pop spotlight, local alcohol brand giant in the Philippines San Miguel Corporation (SMC) also gained positive traction this April following its recent CSR initiative on funding the historic cleanup of the Pasig River, a well-known river in Metro Manila. Said initiative gained praise from netizens, with some users even jokingly saying that they will support SMC’s positive efforts by ‘buying and consuming beer’, as well as ‘buying all of their available products’.

Despite these ‘glowing’ notes, the alcohol industry is also a facet for backlash among Filipino netizens.

One notable case was a community pantry located in Muntinlupa City in Metro Manila that gave soju, a popular Korean alcoholic drink, as part of what people can get for free. The negative flak was heightened due to the fact that the initiative was set by the ‘Sangguniang Kabataan, a local equivalent of a youth-oriented civil organization. According to the netizens, despite the heightened popularity of ‘soju’ due to prominence in K-drama shows, there is still a line as to who the target audience be, and it makes sense that youth members are still not allowed based on age restrictions.

Another notable case is the sentiment shared by Brett Tolhurs, president of the Wine Depot, who commented that Filipinos are not drinking the right wine pairing for the tropical season. His suggestion of pairing ‘lechon’, a well-known Filipino delicacy of slow-roasted pork, to be paired with rose wine, was met negatively by Filipinos, criticizing him for his lack of awareness on the Filipino pairing scene.

“What brands can leverage from this is that spokespersons should be able to balance commentaries without coming out with sweeping generalizations that could trigger netizens to veer away from product consumption and instead focus on personalities representing the brand. By mining data-driven insights, brands should be looking at not only how positive or negative the discussions are, but also the manner how their audiences engage with them and their stakeholders,” Isentia said in a press statement.

For cigarettes, there was a notable theme from consumers that smoking after intercourse is something that they do. This sharing of behaviors and experiences is something alcohol and tobacco industry players could look into in terms of user-generated content to bolster ideas in content marketing, advertisements, and promotional sales.

Another pairing people mentioned by netizens is no surprise: cigarettes and coffee. Similarly, these suggestions can open doors to co-branding that could benefit both brands from different industries.

“It is vital for brands to have a good grasp of the trends and consumer behavior in their industry. Given the alcohol and tobacco brands’ defined customer base, looking into the digital public’s organic conversations relating specifically to their industry may cull out fresh and data-driven ideas that will help in deciding how to improve the brand’s appeal to their intended audience,” said Kate Dudang, insights manager at Isentia Philippines.

Manila, Philippines – As more and more Filipinos are using digital banking services, a large part of this new breed of users are now also showing a heightened interest in exploring the use of biometric-authenticated payment systems, a latest study from digital payment company Visa shows.

According to the study, awareness on using these types of digital payment services rose to 80% in 2020, in contrast to 60% in 2019. Furthermore, around 8 in 10 among Filipinos showed interest in biometric-authenticated payment systems, with a greater inclination to the younger and tech-savvy generation demographic in the country.

Biometric payment is perceived as a quick (62%) and innovative (61%) way to pay. In addition five in 10 Filipinos (55%) think it is a more secure way to pay. However, usage is low at 23 percent since its accessibility depends on market availability. 

Finger scan as one of the biometric authentication methods is most popular amongst Filipinos (59%) especially for making bill payments or purchases at the convenience stores. This is followed by facial recognition (31%) and retina scan (16%).

“As more digital-based solutions and trends emerge in the market, Filipinos are more open to new innovations that make payments and banking more convenient, accessible and seamless. There is opportunity in the country for traditional banks and new players to launch digital banking services in the country that will better serve the needs of underserved and underpenetrated segments,” said Dan Wolbert, country manager for the Philippines and Guam at Visa.

The study also noted that over eight in 10 Filipinos (83%) are aware and interested (81%) in using digital banking services. However, only 32% of respondents are currently using services offered by a digital bank. Top interest drivers for Filipinos to use digital banking services include access to banking services anytime of the day (68%), time saved from not having to queue at bank branches (68%) and convenience (67%). 

The general status quo of the Filipino digital payments scene

The study also showed that Filipinos are most keen to work with a financial services brand for digital banking services (93%) and traditional banks (92%), followed by new start-ups with digital banking services (72%). 

Filipinos interested in banking with digital banks are keen to use services such as paying bills (84%), transferring money locally (78%), making deposits and withdrawals (76%), and making payments for purchases at local retail locations (71%). However, the preference of using digital banking for traditional bank services such as investments (52%), international transfers (48%) and loans (46%) is lower.

In addition, 86% of Filipino respondents would switch current banking services to digital banking services if the bank provided better rewards and 85% would do so if they can benefit from lower costs for their banking transactions. Filipinos’ interest to use digital banking services increased to 80% compared to 70% in the previous year when the same research was conducted.

“We believe this will transform the banking and payments landscape in the country and at Visa, we are keen to work with all our partners to help them create better user interface and experience when they create and enhance their digital banking solutions,” Wolbert added.

Manila, Philippines – As the Philippine arm of e-commerce platform Lazada celebrates the middle of this year, they have recently appointed Philippine actor Alden Richards as its latest brand ambassador, which coincides with Lazada’s upcoming ‘6.6 Mid-Year Sale’ happening from 6 to 8 June.

Richards, who is recently signed as an actor to Philippine media network GMA, is best known for his multiple roles on Filipino television, including as on-screen partner of Philippine actress Maine Mendoza on the popular TV segment ‘Juan For All, All For Juan’ on noontime show ‘Eat Bulaga’. Aside from his roles on TV series such as ‘Ilustrado’, ‘Victor Magtanggol’, and ‘Destined to be Yours’, he is also a recording artist, entrepreneur, and online gaming streamer.

“I am very grateful to be a part of the Lazada family. I had the opportunity to work with them for their Birthday Super Sale last March, and I loved how everyone was just so excited and engaged. I’m definitely looking forward to this year’s 6.6,” the actor stated.

Meanwhile, Neil Trinidad, chief marketing officer of Lazada Philippines, commented, “We are half-way through the year and as we kick-off our 6.6 Mid-Year Sale with Alden, Lazada wants to turn this shopping festival into an opportunity to re-ignite hope and inspiration. We hope that our customers will continue to celebrate making it this far and finding ways to thrive during a very challenging time.”

Richards joins other local brand ambassadors of Lazada in the current lineup such as local actress Kathryn Bernardo, Philippine pop group SB19, and social media star Mimiyuuuh

The upcoming Lazada 6.6 Mid-Year Sale will allow shoppers in the Philippines to join, play, and stand to win ₱10m worth of vouchers and prizes on Lazada’s ‘6.6 Game-Game Super Show! 6.6 Sa Premyo at 6.6 Sa Saya’ this 5 June at 10:15PM, which will be livestreamed on LazLive on the Lazada app and GMA Network, and will be hosted by the whole lineup of Lazada Philippines’ brand ambassadors.

Manila, Philippines – Super-app Grab in the Philippines has partnered with Microsoft to launch the GrabAcademy online platform, with the aim to provide its driver and delivery partners free and equitable access to new learning and development opportunities to enhance their skills and become competitive in the digital-first economy.

The GrabAcademy has three learning pillars, namely ‘Safety across the platform’, ‘Growing within the platform’, and ‘Thriving beyond the platform’. In addition, topics such as taxation and vehicle sanitation will also be migrated online. 

Interested participants can easily register within their Grab Driver app, and will receive a completion certificate upon accomplishing the courses.

Grace Vera Cruz, the country head of Grab Philippines, shared that the super-app’s driver and delivery partners have spent many years providing essential services to all their kababayans (fellow countrymen), and as a community partner, they are committed to supporting their everyday needs and their long-term success. 

“Our GrabAcademy is a clear expression of our long-term commitment to the development and well-being of our partners – both within and beyond our platform, and we are blessed and excited to be with Microsoft on this journey. Through this partnership, we hope to deliver these programs that will provide more holistic training support for our partners to help them become more competitive in a digital-first Philippines,” said Vera Cruz.

Meanwhile, Microsoft Philippines’ Country Manager Andres Ortola commented, “We’re excited to join hands with Grab Philippines in this effort, which will be the first of many more programs to drive positive outcomes and economic recovery for the Philippines.”

Just recently, Grab Philippines has also launched ‘GrabBayanihan Vaccination Support Program’, in an aim to motivate all its consumers, drivers, and delivery partners to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Manila, Philippines – Courier services in the Philippines, whether for food deliveries or for package logistics, have been an integral part of the Filipino e-commerce shopping. With the heightened usage locally, media intelligence and insights company Isentia has recently published a study noting the local status of courier players, and how their ups and downs can help them strive for local competition.

The Philippine arm of Grab has seen its fair share of the positive limelight after it capitalized on the infamous ‘lugaw incident’, which other brands have also banked into. For context, last 31 March, a law enforcer confronted a GrabFood driver for delivering lugaw, a local rice porridge meal that the latter deemed non-essential, which has earned flak from netizens. 

Grab banked on this trend by releasing a promo that uses the code “LUGAWISESSENTIAL”, generously applying no delivery charges off their GrabFood orders.

On the other hand, food delivery courier foodpanda in the Philippines had a minor backlash from the Filipino netizens following its partnership with fast-food chain McDonalds last 20 March for a ‘50% discount for food purchases’. Netizens were quick to point to the misleading promo campaign, as the fine print of the campaign said that the maximum discount for the purchase is capped at PHP75. 

According to Isentia, compared to just headlining ‘max PHP75 off of your food purchase’, consumers will still see this as a win and will prompt more positive feedback than complaints from being misled to getting a smaller discount. Said promo debacle garnered 5,176 buzz during the day it was announced.

“Delivery services are now needed more than ever. But what delivery service should you avail? This trendspotting report incorporates the inputs of all consumers and translating them not just into actionable insights that brands can use, but also into informed decisions consumers can make when choosing which delivery courier is best for them,” Francis Angelo Calucin, insights analyst at Isentia Philippines said.

On a different spectrum, local courier Lalamove has prevailed in the local market due to its recognition of its employees who strive in their work even during the pandemic. However, many netizens are disappointed with the company’s culture of employees only receiving low standard rates and insufficient incentives.

Just recently, a Facebook group called “Lalamove Riders Group” has been flooded by mixed sentiments with engaged netizens commenting and contributing to discussions. With over 18,000 members, it serves as space for Lalamove riders to share and exchange information regarding company updates and their own experiences as drivers for Lalamove.

Meanwhile, a new local courier player has been noted to stand out from its competitors due to its unique offering of online franchising. With ads suggesting that one can earn up to PHP60k a month, it is not a wonder why app downloads reached 153,644 within just four months from its launch. According to Isentia data, there was a total of 1,898 buzz and Toktok-associated mentions in March 2021.

According to Victoria Bernadette Lazo, insights analyst at Isentia Philippines, the e-commerce and logistics industries have boomed and continued to thrive, and with tighter community quarantine guidelines in the country, more people realize the convenience of having things delivered to their doorstep.

“Now, more than ever, is the right time for e-commerce companies to listen in on the buzz surrounding their industry. On top of listening, these companies need to look for ways to make the conversations work in their favor,” Lazo stated.

Rowelyn Bigaya, insights analyst at Isentia Philippines, added that brands have shifted towards a more digital aspect so customers can buy their products from the convenience and safety of their homes amidst the pandemic. 

“Despite contact restrictions and lockdown regulations, companies could continue operation and provide jobs while adapting to the new normal. The use of trendspotting studies will highlight how brands can leverage the potential of digital transformation and optimize conversations to understand and cater to the needs of the public,” Bigaya stated.

Manila, Philippines – As more and more Filipinos are getting more engaged in social media, everyone of us finds whatever we need online, from food necessities and essentials to finding new connections. However, the irony of social media is evident with the existence of ads and countless content that the user may not actually find useful for them.

Such a dilemma is the objective for AppZaloot, the new super-app expanding to the Philippines, aims to erase, bringing back the ‘human’ in humanity, and making connecting online more meaningful through local connections and presenting only what matters to the user.

Founded by Max Thomas in 2016, the app does not collect data from its users without their full consent, allowing them to use social media without worrying if their privacy is being compromised.

“We understand that most people don’t want to have their data used by social media companies, regardless if the data will be used for good intentions such as creating targeted ads and personalizing their feeds to enhance their social media experience,” Thomas said.

He added, “That’s why in AppZaloot, we value our users’ privacy by not collecting and sharing their data without their full consent, allowing them to see and enjoy how social media should really be done.”

The greater asset of AppZaloot is it uses geolocation-based technology, which enables the users on the app’s local feed to interact with other users in their area, as near as 1km from where they are to up to 25km. This feature allows users to engage with their neighbors, strengthening community ties, providing help where it’s needed, and disseminating relevant local news and updates. 

Having a separate feed for their local community enables users to control what they want to see and when they want to see them as well, as opposed to getting ads and updates that other social media platforms integrate into their users’ feed.

The choice of ads on the platform is only heavily based on the app’s local advertising feed, where users can check local establishments for accommodation, entertainment, local services, food, trades, and shopping. Having a dedicated feed just for ads ensures that users’ feeds are not clogged with pointless and irrelevant ads.

In addition, a private friends feed is also present in the app, where users can view what their friends are up to, which allows them to focus on communicating with their friends and family, bringing back what it means to be social on social media.

Part of the app’s features is the global feed that allows users to follow their favorite celebrities, influencers, businesses, and their other interests. In contrast to the local and private friends’ feeds, users can check out their favorite content and enhance their interests and hobbies through the global feed.

Lastly, AppZaloot will also feature an emergency system that sends out alerts to users based on their local area, ranging from COVID-19 outbreaks, traffic accidents to bad weather.

In a press conference, AppZaloot revealed that they will be preparing to launch its very own crypto tokens called Zaloots, the pre-sale of which will be available by the end of June. Said tokens can be tradeable on several international decentralized crypto exchanges. This will be eventually integrated into AppZaloot’s upcoming loyalty program, as well as used on the app for payments and rewards.

Manila, Philippines – Tier One Entertainment, Philippine-headquartered esports talent agency for SEA, has landed a major partnership with media investment company GroupM with an aim to make advertising more inclusive in the esports industry, specifically to open up esports and gaming content to more mainstream brands. 

GroupM owns some of the top agencies internationally, such as Mindshare, Mediacom, and Essence, and holds global FMCG brand accounts like P&G, Unilever, Nestle, and Colgate-Palmolive, and Pepsico. Through this partnership, both GroupM and Tier One look to lead the way in extending advertising opportunities to more brands, and not just those that are esports-dedicated. 

Despite its rise as a phenomenon, esports and gaming largely remain an endemic sponsor-dominated industry, especially in Southeast Asia. Tier One hopes that with GroupM’s considerable network and resources, they can work to change this and bring more eyes to the industry and their talents.

Tier One is the first and only esports and gaming company GroupM has partnered with in the Philippines, and with this, the company will be onboarded into GroupM’s content platform INCA which streamlines the selling and buying of Tier One’s commercial inventory.

When Tier One launched in the country, one of its core goals is to bridge the gap between gaming and mainstream. The company said that GroupM is the perfect partner to enable them to pursue that goal more actively than ever. 

“It’s been a long-term goal of Tier One Entertainment to partner with GroupM. We are glad to have reached a point wherein our backend team can experience working with the best and brightest in the advertising industry. We look forward to a productive and meaningful working relationship as we bring esports and gaming to the forefront of mainstream advertising,” said Joanne Llavore, CCO of Tier One Entertainment. 

Meanwhile, Laurent Goirand, head of digital at GroupM, commented, “Seeing the growing interest for e-sports in the Philippines, it is naturally becoming a new venue for our clients to reach out to new customers. With our partnership with Tier One, we are able to have access to premium content and a team of experts, which will be highly beneficial to our overall proposition. We are already starting to offer this new content to all our clients through INCA, our Content Performance solution.”

Tier One shared that the partnership comes at an opportune time, as it looks to expand to more countries in 2021 and in the future. GroupM is believed to be instrumental in mirroring the model of success that Tier One pioneered in the Philippines to other countries across the region, with the partnership expected to allow Tier One to scale up at an unprecedented rate.

Tier One’s CEO Tryke Gutierrez said, “While we have made great strides towards bringing gaming and esports to more mainstream audiences, the fact that a company like GroupM chose us as a partner is a real game-changer. This shows that the advertising industry is finally confident and believes in the power of esports in Southeast Asia.”

Manila, Philippines – As the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic swept the country, pandemic-relevant items such as face masks, face shields, and hand sanitizers have surged in demand. With this new ‘essentials’ in market, a new study from media monitoring and insights solution provider Isentia notes that Philippine retailers need to listen to the clamor of consumers regarding these essentials, especially through social media channels.

Isentia notes that face masks have naturally garnered high attention from the general public on social media, as buzz online has peaked at 75,715 impressions at least during March 2021. The demand has been also amplified with three local events, as follows:

  • The initial announcement from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) last 13 March where the agency stated that face masks should be worn, even inside of their homes. The statement was met with ridicule from the general public on social media, stating that wearing face masks at home was unnecessary. Some had sarcastic reactions saying that they should then wear masks while bathing, that policemen should be assigned inside their homes to monitor, and that they might as well require wearing a face shield at home.
  • A video of a woman onboard the Metro Rail Transit-3 Train line (MRT-3) last 23 March was met with outrage from netizens after not wearing a face mask and face shield on board the train, where she was met with confrontation from other passengers.
  • An online news report from 30 March stated that people from the English territory Gibraltar are no longer wearing masks due to the absence of COVID-19 cases in the territory. Filipino netizens perceived the news in awe and envy, while others expressed skepticism on how the Philippine Government has been handling the pandemic in the country.

In addition, Isentia notes that the most discussed face masks in the country are N95 masks and the brand Coppermask, as many netizens complain online about using disposable surgical masks when wearing makeup. Some netizens reacted negatively towards the Philippines’ vaccine expert panel’s suggestion that wearing two face masks reduces the risk of getting COVID-19 by 90%. Others praised Doc Adam, an Australian doctor and YouTube personality, for his critique of the Coppermask – saying that wearing the mask is just a fashion statement for most people. 

“Since the pandemic, what the public deems as essential has very much shifted. Masks are now a must-have and retailers and producers have found ways to cater to different tastes,” said Victoria Bernadette Lazo, insights manager at Isentia Philippines.

In regards to face shields, conversations about them were driven by multiple events during the month of March, garnering a total of 43,599 total buzz during the month. The highest momentum was on the Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III who went out on the streets of Baclaran to hand out face shields. The majority of the comments were highly unfavorable in nature, with netizens dubbing that it was a ‘failed PR attempt’ for the government arm and its top official.

Lastly, ‘hand sanitizers’ garnered 1,605 total buzz in the social media. One news article that included the mention of sanitizers struck out on 13 March when Thailand Prime Minister Paruth Chan-ocha sprayed hand sanitizer on the reporters of his press conference to avoid answering questions. Filipino commenters still found a way to correlate the news to Philippine government leaders such as President Rodrigo Duterte and Vice President Leni Robredo. 

“With the threat of COVID-19 still lingering, you can never underestimate any measure when it comes to your safety. A lot of luxuries were taken away from us but what we still have is a choice, an option to choose your face masks, face shields and even the hand sanitizer that goes along with your bag,” Francis Angelo Calucin, insights analyst at Isentia Philippines, said.

The report uses the example of Coppermask which engaged in a so-called ‘Streisand effect’, where the brand attempted to hide, remove, or censor information about negative reviews of their product, such as those of Australian doctor/YouTuber Doc Adam, which in return has the unintended consequence of further publicizing that information, often via the Internet.

“Social media, given its volatile nature, is a good avenue for retail brands to gain insights into customer preferences. Amid the clutter in online platforms, trendspotting reports unlock relevant organic conversations that may be leveraged by brands in devising strategies that will impact their consumers.” Kate Dudang, insights manager at Isentia Philippines, explained. 

Meanwhile, Gladys Mae Ruiz, insights analyst at Isentia Philippines added, “A critical situation like the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed human behavior in different directions. Trendspotting studies such as this will help brands and businesses better understand and respond to the ever-changing consumer behaviour.”