By Caesar Vallejos
Eagle News online correspondent
(Eagle News) — Internationally recognized wealth coach JT Foxx is in Manila to share breakthrough marketing and branding concepts to Philippine businesses.
In a talk at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Foxx analyzed and shared the marketing campaigns of the world’s greatest brands including Google, Apple, Amazon, Starbucks and Coca-Cola to a number of businessmen and entrepreneurs.
“There are so many small businesses in the Philippines and the only way for them to grow is to develop a brand. Without marketing and branding, building relationships and coaching will be very difficult, Foxx said.
“Filipinos are phenomenal at building relationships and they are better at it than any other country in Asia,” he added.
Branding is not bragging
“The problem of people is that they think that if I talk about myself, then I’m bragging. That’s where it becomes very tricky because they are afraid of what other people think,” he said.
Foxx mentioned that businesses should take the branding and marketing mindset. “If no one knows how great you are, then how do you expect them to buy from you?” he stressed.
A brand is an end-result. “Whatever you hope people are getting from your products, that’s what you need to brand,” Foxx said. He advised businessmen to think about long-term brand equity and sustainability. “The decision you make now reflect on the impact of your brand five years from now,” Foxx said.
The Manny Pacquiao brand
Foxx shared that the first thing that comes to mind when asked about the Filipino brand is Manny Pacquaio.
“If Manny Pacquiao wasn’t Manny Pacquiao, he wouldn’t be close to the Senate race. But when Manny Pacquiao says something controversial as he did, it makes the news all over the world,” he said.
Foxx was referring to Nike’s pulling out of the sportsman’s sponsorship with the global sports brand after his controversial statements.
“It is interesting how quickly a rank can go up but how easily it goes down in a powerful brand. For Nike to pull out, that just goes to show that it was not good for their brand, we’re very socially conscious,” Foxx explained.
‘Top brands don’t sell products’
Branding is about building awareness, insistence, preference, and loyalty.
According to Foxx, “if you understand the top brands in the world, they never sell the product.”
Foxx cited what the top brands sell to their markets. Starbucks doesn’t sell coffee. It sells some kind of an experience and becoming part of the cool.Coca-Cola doesn’t sell coke, it sells happiness. Apple does not sell phones. It is about being different. The Manny Pacquiaobrand sells inspiration, going from nothing to something.
“A brand never sells the product, it sells the benefit. It’s not the product that we are branding, it’s the feeling,” Foxx emphasized.
Branding the Philippines
Foxx who was sporting a tan from Boracay said that “the problem of the Philippines is that no one knows how great it is.”
While Thailand is branded as ‘Amazing Thailand’, the Philippines is branded by typhoons.
Manny Pacquiao may have put the Philippines in the global map, but in the end, Foxx said that it is the Filipinos’ great driving spirit and belief that have placed it there.
“Your favorite sport is basketball yet the average height is 5’ 5”, he cited as an example of the Filipino’s passion.
“I grew up in a Filipino culture being in Montreal, Canada with a lot of Filipino community but they never talk how great you are,” Foxx wondered.
He encouraged Filipinos tell the whole world how different and how great the country is.
Expressing his great admiration to the Philippines, Foxx said, “I believe in the people, I believe in this country. Filipinos should believe in themselves too.”
Hailed as the world’s No. 1 wealth coach, JT Foxx joins Apple Founder Steve Wozniak, former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and The Trump Organization VP Eric Trump in other wealth networking events. Jerome San of Laurus Enterprises organized JT Foxx’s coming to Manila.