Cathleen Denise Barrameda
Corporate Communications Senior Manager | McDONALD’S PHILIPPINES
2024 Mansmith Young Market Masters Awardee for Advocacy Marketing
Denise oversees strengthening McDonald’s employer brand—one of the company’s biggest thrusts in recent years—
Creating More Opportunities for All Filipinos. Denise led the company’s biggest employer brand campaign with Best Me at McDo. She ensured the campaign reflected the company’s promise: McDonald’s unlocks one’s best self regardless of their background. This encompassed featuring real McDonald’s employees’ stories, highlighting inclusive growth opportunities, and leading training and employability programs like:
- Alternative Workforce Hiring – hiring 500 senior citizens and PWDs in 2023-24
- Special Program for Employment of Students (SPES) – 17,000 youth hired, with 2,200 later hired as regular employees since its inception
- TESDA partnership – developed the first TESDA curriculum for Quick Service Restaurants
Championing Inclusivity through Feel-good and Representation. Denise leads various programs that amplify the company’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). One of McDonald’s biggest DEI platforms is “Love Ko All” (Lovin’ All) that she has grown since 2022. This was amplified through a viral ad that normalized queer love. McDonald’s won the hearts of the queer community and its allies, with the ad garnering almost 130M views and significantly lifting key imagery scores for the company.
Furthermore, she leads the communications on the company’s sustainability initiative, “Green and Good”, an industry-first effort by McDonald’s.
Contributing to a Greener Philippines and Connecting with Eco-conscious Communities In 2021, Denise led the development of the company’s strategic environmental sustainability plan, later translating this into a big platform idea– Green & Good. This integrates sustainable and alternative solutions to store operations such as Solar Rooftop and Rainwater Harvesting Tank. There are currently seven Green & Good stores with more set to launch soon.
Denise led an initiative called Ride the Arches. It is the country’s first nationwide cycling tour and first for all McDonald’s markets, effectively engaging more than 1,000 cyclists and promoting McDonald’s Bike & Dine restaurant feature. This solidified McDonald’s stance as a partner of local cycling communities.
Beyond her drive for excellence and innovation, Denise’s sincere commitment to the company’s values is a quality that makes her leadership stand out even further. With the campaigns Best Me at McDo, Lovin’ All, and Ride the Arches, Denise made sure that the brand’s values were effectively highlighted to convey McDonald’s character as a company and what it stands for. By showcasing how the company sincerely valued inclusivity both internally and externally, and by positioning the brand as a champion of sustainability, Denise and her campaigns helped bring McDonald’s closer to millions of Filipinos.
Grace Therese L. Benedicto
Segment Head - Intimate Care | UL Skin Sciences, Inc.
2024 Mansmith Young Market Masters Awardee for Marketing Management
In an almost a decade that Grace has been with UL Skin Sciences (UNILAB’s personal care company), her experience as a brand builder has covered multiple facets that empower the lives of Filipinas through beauty, well-being, and beyond.
Grace has proudly led and pioneered sustainably and purpose-driven proudly Filipino brands across face care, body care, and intimate care categories.
Innovating and Redefining Skin Care, Grace started under the innovations team and spearheaded key new products and ranges that helped shape ULSSI’s brands. Grace championed combining Celeteque’s heritage of smart skin care to a new groundbreaking DermoCosmetics line —well ahead of today’s social media-driven cosmetic trends. She also led the development and innovation of Lactezin, the 1st registered oral over-the-counter anti-acne drug in the Philippines. Both achievements were rooted in Unilab’s legacy of scientific expertise, translating it into beauty solutions that enhanced women’s confidence.
Face to Face with the Giants in Face Care: With her brand leadership, Celeteque became the top challenger to the no. 1 facial wash brand in the country. She was able to double the business by strategically maximizing the portfolio roles of all 5 ranges of the brand. She pioneered Celeteque online platforms at a time when online shopping was not yet part of the consumer journey. Her foresight for Ecommerce cushioned the business during the pandemic and propelled growth of Ecommerce and online platforms for total UL Skin Sciences, Inc. She was also the brains behind Celeste –first ever ULSSI-Celeteque customer care chatbot. 24/7 customer service that does not need additional cost for traditional community management. Grace’s innovation in portfolio management and new retail platforms cemented Celeteque’s position and grabbed shares from major players in face care category.
Disrupting a Saturated Market with Myra Body’s Sustainable Business Vision –Grace was able to expand a million skin care business to billion business by growing new body care categories. From a single channel focused skin care, she led Hand & Body Lotion and Soap category that are both heavy on all channels and trade executions. Grace managed a new arena with HBL having multiple campaigns both nationwide and regional as well as create a viable source of business in soap category.
Pioneering Intimate Care in the Philippines
In a conservative country like the Philippines, intimate care is hush hush topic and to a certain point a taboo conversation. How do you market something that no one wants to talk about? In a Kantar study, the team found out that 6 out of 10 young Filipinas don’t know much about feminine health or how to care for themselves.
Grace elevated pH Care’s feminine health educational advocacy campaign #ShareTheCare to new heights and brought the conversations to where the consumers are – schools, homes, and barangays. The integrated marketing campaign created safe spaces for teens to know more about feminine care. She and her team also championed pH Cares for Every Girl sampling program which gave out feminine care kits to more than 7,000 girls nationwide.
The team was able to narrow the gap year on year. In 2023, pH Care grew market penetration by 10% from double digit decline of total category during the pandemic.
Today Grace develops and leads her team towards category captainship in driving not just sustainable growth trends but purpose-driven consumer value propositions for pH Care (No. 1 Feminine Wash in the Philippines) and GynePro (No. 1 Red Day Feminine Wash; fastest growing feminine wash brand).
Lorenzo Canaria
AVP | GCash
2024 Mansmith Young Market Masters Awardee for Marketing Management
To be a young market master goes beyond commercials – at the end of the day, businesses move through various individuals and multiple work streams united by a business mission. Therefore, I will instead make a case around my mastery of 3 core marketing skills I have employed that truly changed the way marketing was, and is being done, for the businesses I have handled.
HUMANIZING CATEGORIES For the online payments and lending businesses, the buying and borrowing behaviors were not new to PH, but no other player took on the burden of going deeper than the functional needs of the consumers. For the most part, communications insisted on “additional” and “new” benefits they were providing. In my point of view, this strategy only attracted those who were already craving for that exact benefit; availability of the product, with some level of awareness, would have made the users try it. Home Credit had on-the-spot instant approval for installments, payment methods added themselves as an option for online merchants – but companies can always come up with new products with technology; marketing builds deeper consumer relationships. Beyond functionality, I had led the team in asking why consumers were behaving the way they did – why was online piracy still thriving? Why were users reselling their Spotify and Netflix accounts? Why do borrowers keep on borrowing with high interest even if they claim they do not like that? I guided the team to ask difficult – and sometimes heartbreaking – “why’s” because only then were we able to understand the market’s relationship with the category and what a brand can genuinely do to help improve whatever that relationship is. The goal was to make the numbers human to everyone working for the products. have handled.
MAKING MAGIC THAT MATTERS
Gaining clarity after humanizing a category begins a beautiful marketing strategy process. But so often have I observed that the marketing becomes a victim of its own clever advertising or that the advertising is dampened by the rigidness of the marketing. To affect a category is to change behaviors and to change behaviors requires a sense of “magic” – how do you respond to deep desires in a way that makes people stop, look, and listen. In a world full of noise, I have led the marketing and agency teams to create meaningful and beautiful campaigns – and I think that is what marketing magic looks like. In my capacity as a marketing leader, I am both the first to push for new ways to say marketing messages and crave for what is likable in the zeitgeist; and the first person to question if the creativity responds to the human truth, if the message hits the spot of the coreinsight. This is important because once the teams get the rhythm of vacillating back-and-forth asking these questions, magic spreads and the magic starts to matter. This sense of culture building is what keeps GCrypto so focused on just simplifying all crypto concepts – so much so that the general manager now serves as a KOL explaining things on our social media channels. It is this same culture of magic that keeps online payments tight with its merchant partners. And today, it’s the same culture that keeps the lending portfolio focused on validating the dreams of borrowers, may it be big or small.
BRAND AUTHENTICITY
For this magic to have lasting impact, we had to remember that the products were a part of the GCash masterbrand and hence what my brands say cannot be grossly disjointed from the mission of financial inclusion. Authenticity is important to consumers – we all have a sixth sense for brands the same way we have a sixth sense in sizing people up. Contradicting messages makes the magic, and ultimately the brand experience, fail. And so I always take it upon myself to be the custodian of single-mindedness in our marketing strategies. I am always the one ingraining the inclusion story across our campaigns. I provide clarity in two things: who are we including and how are we truly including them? Online Payments focused on people without credit cards and giving them access to merchants previously thought to be credit card exclusive. GCrypto focused on people who wanted to get into cryptocurrencies but were overwhelmed; and so we gave them a brand that stood by simplicity in experience and communications. Lending focuses on people traditional banks do not want and are stuck with predatory and shameful lending. We give them a set of products that believe in their capacity to pay and communications that validate their dreams. We include them by giving them a fighting chance in life. We let them borrow with dignity.
Jhenard Cayaban
Startup Segment Lead -Philippines | Amazon Web Services
2024 Mansmith Young Market Masters Awardee for Business Development
Driving Cloud Innovation, Business Growth, and Leadership:
Jhenard’s Impact on AWS’s Success in the Philippines
Jhenard has been pivotal in propelling AWS’s growth and establishing market leadership in a competitive cloud landscape dominated by Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud. His achievements are categorized into three key roles he plays: a) Builder of a High-Performing Business, b) Builder of Innovative Leaders, c) Builder of a Strong Ecosystem – all these while demonstrating Strong Leadership Principles.
(a) Jhenard as a Builder of a High Performing Business: When AWS entered the Philippine market in 2016, the initial focus was on large enterprises. Recognizing the untapped potential in the Startup Sector, Jhenard spearheaded efforts in this segment starting 2020. At that time, AWS held a 25% Share of Wallet, trailing behind Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud. To accelerate growth and seize market leadership, Jhenard implemented several strategic initiatives:
- Targeted Migration Sales Play: Jhenard focused on migration opportunities, educating startups to switch from competing cloud providers to AWS through Executive Conversations, Account Planning, Technical Trainings, Consultations, & demonstrating strategic value on why AWS is the right cloud partner. This resulted in AWS securing one of the largest migration win from Microsoft in 2021, valued at $720k Annual Recurring Revenue, recognized as the largest startup deal won in ASEAN. To date, 50+ startups have migrated to AWS, contributing to a 150% rev growth from 2021 to 2023, becoming the fastest-growing segment within AWS ASEAN.
- Early Acquisition Strategy: Jhenard dived deep into startups’ decision process and concluded that startups are more likely to stick to their first cloud provider. Leveraging this insight, he ensured AWS’s presence from the early days of startups by penetrating accelerators, incubators, developer communities, and university innovation labs. By promoting AWS Activate Program – offering credits, technical training, and consultations, AWS saw a 240% growth in customer acquisition, the highest acquisition growth in ASEAN in the past 2 years. Jhenard has ensured that AWS is the preferred cloud provider of startups from Day 1. Notably, one of AWS’s customers, is one of the success stories from this approach, grew from a $100/month account to a $600k/month account, becoming AWS’s largest startup account in ASEAN in 2022.
- Best-in-Class Account Management & Community Engagement: Jhenard launched CTO Roundtable discussions to address industry challenges and pioneered “Learn & Be Curious Fridays,” weekly virtual training sessions for developers. These initiatives trained over 300 developers nationwide and significantly increased AWS’s presence in the developer community. Jhenard also launched Monthly Connects with Startup Executives which led to 10+ startup founders (from zero in 2020, becoming AWS ambassadors, evangelizing AWS’s value proposition to other startup founders.
These efforts culminated in Jhenard being honored as the Account Manager of the Year in 2023. He also addressed revenue concentration risks by diversifying the revenue base. In 2022, only one account contributes 45% of the revenue but Jhenard reduced this concentration risk to now 10 accounts delivering 40% of the revenue, through net new acquired customers and increasing wallet share in top accounts. As a result of these mechanisms, AWS now dominates the Startup Segment in the Philippines with a 68% Share of Wallet leaving Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud far behind.
(b) Jhenard as a Builder of Next Generation Innovative Leaders: Beyond his role in AWS, Jhenard is dedicated to shaping future leaders through academia. He teaches Technology Marketing & Commercialization at the University of the Philippines and pioneered the first Digital Transformation & Leadership elective at the University of Asia and the Pacific. In these subjects, he equips IT professionals & marketing undergrads with the skills to drive innovation and lead in their fields. His students have embarked on AI projects & shown strong interest in tech startups, reflecting the impact of his teachings. He has influenced 250+ graduates to become technology advocates and become startup builders. Within AWS, Jhenard shares best practices across APAC, focusing on winning large migration deals, managing significant accounts, and launching scalable mechanisms. He also played a crucial role in hiring and onboarding talents in Malaysia, Pakistan, and Indonesia, contributing to the development of future leaders in the industry.
(c) Jhenard as a builder of a Strong, Vibrant Startup Ecosystem: Recognizing the broader needs of the startup ecosystem, Jhenard initiated partnerships with incubators, accelerators, and government agencies such as the DTI and DICT. This has resulted to a significant collaboration with QBO Innovation Hub, the premier & largest (1000+) cohort of startups in the Philippines, where Jhenard led the launch of AWS Office Hours, a monthly cloud consultation & enablement for all QBO’s startups benefiting 150+ startup CEOs & CTOs in building their tech platforms. Despite a 14% YoY decline in startup funding in 2023, Jhenard remained committed to helping startups in 1) Reducing and optimizing their cloud costs; and 2) Increasing their topline revenue through go-to-market discussions with startup CEO’s.
Jhenard on Demonstrating Strong Leadership Principles: Guided by AWS Leadership Principles—Customer Obsession, Bias for Action, Dive Deep, and Ownership—Jhenard has driven AWS’s success in the Philippines. His dedication to innovation, leadership, and ecosystem growth is evident in the results he has achieved. Jhenard’s commitment to building a high-performing & sustainable business, building & molding future leaders, building & growing the startup ecosystem, while demonstrating strong leadership principles have not only propelled AWS to market leadership but also fostered a vibrant and innovative startup community in the Philippines. His strategic vision and execution have made a lasting impact on the cloud industry in the country and in the broader ASEAN ecosystem, making him a deserving candidate for the Young Market Masters Awards.
Genesis Jarilla
Brand Manager | Nutriasia
2024 Mansmith Young Market Masters Awardee for Brand Management
Genesis believes everything has a purpose, including the names we are given. His name, from the Bible’s first book, inspires him to create new beginnings everywhere he goes. This drive was evident when he joined Nutri-Asia. Known for iconic Filipino brands like UFC, Nutri-Asia dominates the condiments industry and is now aiming to genesis its presence and influence in new markets with UFC Soups and UFC Fun Chow.
A Genesis of Success: Championing UFC Soups’ Innovative Breakthrough
Although UFC was well-known in condiments, entering the packaged soups market was a new challenge. Competing with an established brand didn’t deter Genesis. He led UFC to success by optimizing resources, choosing strategic battles, and prioritizing key areas. Through the Souper Choice campaign, they focused on communicating its product superiority of having more bits/laman than competition, complemented by hyper targeted execution outsmarting the competition by latching on key consumer behaviors:
- Consumers are more likely to eat soup during rainy or gloomy weather. Therefore, UFC implemented an innovative programmatic boosting strategy, activating ads during gloomy weather and deactivating them otherwise; boosting efficiency and impact.
- Consumers of the product belong to the upper SEC who are more inclined to purchase it in supermarket channels, therefore UFC streamlined its execution and support to key chains such as SM and Robinsons.
This efficiency strategy significantly boosted the brand’s performance, allowing it to reach the right audience at the right place and time. As a result, in 2022, it doubled its nationwide market volume share from 1.9% to 4%. Last year, it doubled its market share again to 8%, achieving an 8% business share in SM and 12% in Robinsons in just under three years in the market; proving it has already created a dent in the category, stirring the pot both literally and figuratively.
A Genesis of Change: Leading the UFC Fun Chow’s Consumer Revolution
UFC Fun Chow Rice Mix has revolutionized how Filipinos enjoy fried rice by offering a convenient, innovative product. As the first of its kind, it encountered the challenge of altering traditional consumer habits in fried rice preparation and persuading them to adopt the brand.
Genesis led a strategy to attract young adults to cook fried rice with UFC Fun Chow by tapping into their passion for the Hallyu wave. By launching a new line of Korean rice mixes and supporting it with the K-Sarap campaign, the brand capitalized on the allure of authentic Korean flavors, sparking curiosity and driving substantial consumer trial.
Featuring international Korean superstar Kim Seon Ho as the face of the campaign, accelerated brand growth, culminating in a 21% increase in FY24 compared to the previous year, and significantly impacting Filipino consumption of fried rice. UFC Fun Chow boosted the incidence of consumers cooking fried rice from 24% before launch to 33% by April 2024. Additionally, the brand created a new category, propelling the category penetration of rice mixes from 0% to an impressive 41% across the Philippines – triggering a genesis of a new consumer behavior.
Genesis sees these brand successes as proof that, as young marketers, they may lack resources but can still achieve greatness. Trusting their vision, pushing boundaries, and taking that crucial first step are key. Ultimately, it’s about having the courage to start and spark their GENESIS.
Josemaria Montes
Trade Marketing Manager | Mekeni Food Corporation
2024 Mansmith Young Market Masters Awardee for Trade Marketing
How can you make a move in a highly competitive space such as the frozen processed meats industry – where big and entrenched players like Purefoods, CDO, Pampanga’s Best, and Frabelle, move around like big titans and threaten to crush you? How do you make a difference when the budget for all the elements that can help you in a fight – market research, manpower, programs, etc. – are either slim or non-existent? That was the dilemma more than five years ago when I started my Mekeni journey.
We had our work cut out for us. Solve the Mekeni problem: how do we grow the business while navigating the competitive space with a relatively slim budget? Since we did not have market research budget, we were much more attuned to what was available to us. We used internal sales data, field observations, in-house market surveys, program testing, among many other data sets that were accessible at little to no cost. We learned two simple things: 1. There are developing categories where big competition is too busy to focus on and the opportunity lies there; and 2. Sampling is an activity that competition cannot retaliate in because they have diminishing returns on the investment since their brand already has high recall. Conversely, Mekeni’s return-on-investment potential for this activity is high because of our low awareness and trial. With these landmark insights and inspired lobbying, we were able to establish a history of success that gave management the confidence to invest in our strategy and put Mekeni on a track for growth:
- Developed and built the Bayani Street Food line which grew 735% from its first year, in just three short years, to contribute 25% of the total Mekeni business. There has been no Mekeni brand that has achieved such explosion of growth in such a short period of time since the company started in 1986.
- Created a Low Cost Sampling Model that allowed Mekeni to introduce itself to new markets in an economical way. It delivered great results since our products were of great quality and we just needed people to taste them to convert. Our landmark campaign in Bulacan in 2021 generated 68% growth for key accounts due to sampling. While our campaign in NCR in 2023 had a 48% growth for key accounts. This strategy was piggy-backed onto our recent push for our new distributor model which helped Mekeni grow by 33% from 2019 vs. 2023, making 2023 the highest sales performance of the company for the past five years. To date, this model is still being used and continues to be an anchoring strategy, delivering double digit growth campaigns for our focus products.
- Through our Bundling Model we were able to solidify our presence in the underdeveloped categories. In our landmark bundling activity in 2020, we were able to increase our Sisig sales by 65% and our Luncheon Meat sales by 122%. Sisig, from being the 19th SKU in General Trade in 2020 in terms of business contribution, became the 13th SKU in 2023. For Luncheon Meat, it went from being 25th in 2020 to the 4th SKU in 2023.
One may argue that all the activities above are not new or pioneering. But it is precisely the conscious decision to be prudent and focus on fundamentals and execution, over trying to beat competition with so many new ideas, that ultimately led to all the success of the organization for the past five years. It allowed us to prioritize, manage risks, and build organizational capabilities. Our innovation was internal and in this case, much of the ideas and strategizing was really focused on understanding the Mekeni context and seeing how best to capitalize on opportunities that are within reach with our resources. And I think that knowing what kind of fight to take is just as important and could make all the difference. With confidence, we can say that we built the organization in the past five years to have a clear path towards a bright future in the next decade.
Abigail Pel
Oral Care Category Lead | Unilever
2024 Mansmith Young Market Masters Awardee for Marketing Management
With over 10 years of experience in marketing, handling and growing challenger brands in different industries, my proudest achievement so far is the turnaround of the Closeup Philippines business.
Closeup was the undisputed gel toothpaste since its launch in 1970s until 2000s. The leading brand of toothpaste in the Philippines launched their own gel variant in 2022 with a similar transparent gel product and freshness proposition that brought a change to the competitive landscape. Since 2005, Closeup has been on a penetration and share decline trend. From 2017 to 2021 the decline further accelerated with the increase of competitive heat.
I had the opportunity to handle the brand and with my passion for winning and creativity, I was able to lead closeup to its record high growth for 2 years by focusing on fixing brilliant basics, understanding and serving consumers with my deep love for them and creating delightful brand experiences. I differentiated the freshness Closeup offers in the category by highlighting Zinc as an ingredient that fights bacteria breath. With this,I also brought back the “kilig” Closeup is known for by launching DonBelle (Donny Pangilinan and Belle Mariano) as Closeup’s new endorsers.
I led the execution of delightful brand experiences and innovative campaigns that surpassed benchmarks, drove brand talkability and brand love: AmaZinc Music Campaigns with DonBelle that trended nationwide and even worldwide, viral Pride executions which were able to promote Closeup’s purpose that everyone is #FreeToLove and unique Valentine’s Day Activations such as blind dates during traffic in partnership with a ride hailing app. These pioneering campaigns and executions resulted to increase in shares and sales. These were also recognized by different award giving bodies such as Kidlat Awards, Boomerang Awards, Panata Awards and Marketing Excellence Awards.
After years of decline, Closeup GREW IN MARKET SHARE AND SALES FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2017! Closeup ended 2022 at a high double digit growth, market share increase and penetration increase. With this record high growth, the Philippines became FASTEST growing Closeup market globally making it part of the top 5 closeup markets in the world. It also became the BIGGEST closeup market in SEA in 2022.
In 2023, Closeup continued its growth trajectory ending the year with market share increase and an even HIGHER DOUBLE DIGIT SALES GROWTH vs previous year.
Closeup was able to reach its highest share in 5 years!
Learning from the strategies and executions that worked combined with the boldness to try out innovative activations, the brand dares and aims to continue this growth trajectory in the years to come.
Aries John Pineda
Senior Manager, CSR & Publicity | SM Store
2024 Mansmith Young Market Masters Awardee for Advocacy Marketing
A Visionary Brand and Community Builder
Aries John Pineda is a passionate and innovative marketing professional renowned for his dedication to social causes and his talent for creating transformative campaigns and programs. His journey began with personal challenges that heightened his awareness of both the opportunities available and the significant financial barriers many people face. After securing a college scholarship, Aries excelled as an active student leader, engaging in various social enterprise projects that supported people with disabilities (PWD), women, and out-of-school youth. His efforts have consistently demonstrated his commitment to community involvement and social impact.
With nearly a decade of corporate experience, Aries advanced to the role of Senior Marketing Manager for Local Store Marketing at SM Store in 2021. He managed the North and Central Luzon cluster, the largest zone by branch count and branch marketing managers (BMM) headcount. In this role, he was instrumental in the post-pandemic recovery of SM Store’s largest group by implementing the 3Ps of Local Store Marketing: Passion for People, Progressive Partnerships, and Purpose-Driven Promotions and Campaigns. His efforts, including coaching local branch marketing managers, fostering partnerships with community organizations, and enhancing in-store activations and sales events, led to a remarkable 47% sales growth in 2022, surpassing the sales plan by 117%. His leadership was key in revitalizing North Luzon’s business performance and expanding its retail presence, notably leading the successful marketing campaigns for the openings of SM Store Tuguegarao in November 2022 and SM Store Bataan in May 2023.
Transitioning to the role of Senior Manager and Head of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Publicity, Aries revitalized SM Store’s CSR program with the launch of the Shop&Share brand. This initiative merges retail best practices with enhanced customer shopping experiences, making donations accessible and empowering customers to contribute to their communities. Aries spearheaded several Shop&Share programs, impacting thousands of Filipinos all over the country through collaborations with retail partners, local and global NGOs, LGUs, and other key institutions. He also authored the CSR playbook, which standardizes Employee VolunteeriSM initiatives across SM Retail, and plays a crucial role in GreenFinds, SM’s sustainable retail brand. His leadership in marketing amplifications and business reviews, alongside collaboration with the SM Investments Corporation (SMIC) Corporate Communications team, continues to enhance SM Store’s publicity efforts. The Shop&Share initiatives under his leadership have generated significant PR value and mileage.
His work has garnered widespread recognition, including prestigious accolades such as the Asia Pacific Stevie Awards, Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards (AREA) Hall of Fame for Social Empowerment, and a shortlist for the 2024 League of Corporate Foundations (LCF) Medal of Recognition. The program is also a finalist for the 2024 Marketing Excellence Awards and the PANAta Award 2024 by the Philippine Association of National Advertisers (PANA). Aries is also SM Store’s nominee for the 2024 PANA Rookie Brand Builder of the Year.
Aries, exemplifies how aligning business strategies with social good can drive positive change. His work at SM Store evolves continually, promoting responsible entrepreneurship and lifelong learning while making a tangible impact on communities across the Philippines.
Dominic Rowell O. Reyes
Regional Marketing Head | Jollibee
2024 Mansmith Young Market Masters Awardee for Marketing Management
Spreading Chickenjoy to the World
Dominic Rowell “Nico” Reyes is a marketer with a decade’s worth of experience in both Fast-Moving Consumer Goods and Quick Service Restaurants in Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Throughout his career, he has successfully led three business turnarounds by repositioning challenged brands to be more relevant to new and lapsing consumers.
He is currently with the Jollibee Group of Companies, where he is known for his trailblazing contributions in making Jollibee the 2nd fastestgrowing restaurant brands in the world, taking the Jollibee brand to mainstream success outside the Philippines and driving record-breaking yet sustainable business growth. In his five years in Jollibee’s International Operations (Europe, Middle East, Asia), he has played an instrumental role in adapting Jollibee to be relevant to local customers in key growth markets, driving stellar business results even during the pandemic and unlocking best practices across the marketing mix that were eventually rolled out globally.
Most recently, he was recognized for his work in leading the sales turnaround of Jollibee in the United Kingdom as its Head of Marketing. In this role, Nico led the development of the Brand, Product and Restaurant strategy for the British market that resulted to a revamped brand expression, elevated restaurant design, menu innovations, a more profitable pricing strategy, blockbuster campaigns, strategic local partnerships, including one with a Michelinbackground chef, as well as viral social media executions. All these have resulted to recordbreaking sales growth, the highest-ever mainstream patronage (80% of Jollibee UK’s customers are now locals) and 100% of outlets at 4 stars or higher on Google. He was also responsible for setting up and training the local marketing organization prior to his return to the Philippines. Before this, Nico was known to have done the same exercise for Jollibee in the UAE, where he was also credited for leading its business turnaround.
Early this year, Nico was promoted to be Assistant Vice President and Head of Regional Marketing for the Jollibee Group’s Europe, Middle East, Asia and Australia (EMEAA) Business Unit. He is the youngest-ever person to hold this role, where he leads all marketing organizations in 14 markets in EMEAA and is responsible for strategy development and execution in all existing and future markets. Prior to this, Nico handled marketing and sales management roles for Colgate-Palmolive and Nestle Philippines.
Beyond his professional triumphs, Nico is known for his joyful approach to work. He is fulfilled by being able to lead happy and high-performing teams. This is consistent to his personal mission statement: To live a zestful life that sparks joy to others by pursuing excellence with relentless positivity, energizing those around him to live their best lives. He is also a passionate advocate of building a world-class reputation for the Philippines in the international arena.
Catherine Denise Rollan
Metro Asia Brand Lead for Essential Health | Kenvue
2024 Mansmith Young Market Masters Awardee for Marketing Management
My 2-year stint in Kenvue has so far been an amazing run. I’ve led my team through massive shifts in how we do business, logged record breaking growths across our brands, overtook a giant to assume #1 in the category, and showcased our success stories to multiple forums. Since them, my team and I have moved to bigger roles given the impact we’ve had in our categories and in the broader Kenvue organization.
I would be thrilled if chosen to be part of this year’s awardees. My approach to marketing has always been that I am a consumer first, and a marketer second. I believe that the other side of a problem is an opportunity and that sometimes the simplest of interventions can lead to the greatest of impacts. I also believe that success is not the result of only 1 person’s doing. I aspire to continue growing brands, building businesses and mentoring brand superstar on a wider stage. Below are quick snapshots of my time so far at Kenvue:
1) Solidifying Aveeno Body’s leadership internally and externally
Results: Massive share jump from 35.9% in end-2022 to 51.0% in Feb’24 (just before I moved roles) overtaking Cetaphil as #1 in adult therapeutic lotions. Sales growth coming from 8% in 2022 to 47% in 2023. Aveeno Body PH also became global best-in-class in Kenvue. Share and sales continue to grow today keeping with the same operating strategy I had set in place with other markets following suit
How: Knowing we did not have the same arsenal of resources like our competitors, we had to be deliberate, choiceful and aggressive where we chose to play in. Strategic pivots I had led include
- Establishing our influencer playbook focusing heavily on Tiktok, working deliberately with nano-influencers that had sensitive skin and not celebrities, and developing a comms playbook
- Codifying the right superior message vs competition and consistently repeating and amplifying across platforms with tweaks to stay relevant and fresh, and
- Aggressively going after distribution and prominence in doors where our #1 competitor was in
2) Establishing Neutrogena as one-to-watch
Results: 700bps of growth despite a highly competitive skin care category, massive sales growth of 42% in 2023 with all segments growing double digit, cracking top 5 moisturizers and top 3 in sunblock in eComm
How: Neutrogena was a brand that was confusing in the eyes of consumers. People know Neutrogena but nobody knew what it was good for. Brand massively grew behind
- Focusing full year comms on Hydroboost format vs fragmenting the support across lines – despite this risky shift, we were able to grow across all segments!
- Establishing Neutrogena as a cult favorite/ best-kept secret on social media by working with KOLs who have always used and loved the brand and letting their stories shine through
- Collaborating closely with few key retailers to appear big and popular despite our size
3) Unlocking barriers on Modess
Results: Highest sales growth in the past 5 years (8%), qualified a strong second pillar of growth with premium Ultrathin segment (18%) in a category with heavy commoditization, regained highest equity vs competitors after a year of close competition with low-priced brands,
How: Modess was stuck in a sea of sameness with pricing that can exceed 2x other competitors. The brand had resorted to doing the same thing year on year in the hopes of protecting the base.
- The big pivot was shifting the benefit from leakage protection to comfort from irritation behind the insight that very few experienced leaks and the real constant painpoint is irritation. The campaign also featured a new technology that hasn’t been talked in the category – hypoallergenic topsheet.
- To ensure sustainable business growth, I had pushed for developing a strong 2nd pillar of growth to protect the future (Ultrathin). With a separate P&L and support model, Ultrathin grew massively.
4) Building a team of extraordinary talents
In my time at Kenvue as the Skin Health and Feminine Care Lead, I have had 7 direct reports all with great career momentum in the company. From the team, 1 talent is now based in Kenvue Thailand handling their biggest brand, and another was awarded Marketer of the Year in Kenvue (eligible only for Marketing Managers and below). We had also won Franchise Team of the Year. Acknowledging our capabilities, our team was also given pilot launch projects that would scale across if successful. Region has invited us to share our journey in multiple forums and our case studies have been lauded in multiple internal forums.
Czarina Jagto-Sevilla
CEO | Avocadoria
2024 Mansmith Young Market Masters Awardee for Entrepreneurial Marketing
Avocadoria: A Journey of Passion, Perseverance, and Purpose
At 27, with a heart full of dreams and a head brimming with passion, I embarked on the journey of Avocadoria. Although I lacked prior business experience, I was motivated by a clear vision: to create a brand that celebrated the humble avocado, while empowering Filipino farmers and enriching lives.
Our first day was a modest affair, with only two cups of avocado goodness sold. However, I did not feel discouraged. I knew that with hard work, dedication, and the unwavering support of my family and mentors, I could make Avocadoria a success.
Today, Avocadoria stands tall with 210 branches across the Philippines and an international presence of 3 branches in Singapore. This journey has been a testament to the power of perseverance, a testament to the belief that even the most audacious dreams can be realized with unwavering commitment.
From the very beginning, I recognized the importance of sustainable practices. I understood that the success of Avocadoria was intrinsically linked to the well-being of the avocado farmers who provided the heart of our brand. I took a leap of faith, committing to using avocado as our primary ingredient, despite its seasonal nature. This bold move led me to a remarkable encounter with a farmer in Davao, who was seeking opportunities abroad. He became our key supplier, ensuring a year-round supply of high-quality avocados.
Within a month of opening our first branch, we launched our franchising program. The response was overwhelming. In just three months, 111 individuals shared our vision and became part of the Avocadoria family. This success not only expanded our reach but also provided our Davao farmer with the means to stay in his homeland and dedicate himself to growing more avocados for our stores.
Avocadoria has become more than just a business; it’s a movement. We’ve created a thriving ecosystem that empowers farmers, generates employment, and fosters a culture of sustainable practices. Our franchisees, many with multiple branches, are a testament to the strength of our brand and the unwavering loyalty of our customers.
The commitment to supporting avocado farmers and promoting sustainable practices within the industry has been a core value of Avocadoria. By prioritizing partnerships with avocado growers and suppliers, the brand has not only created a unique market for avocado-based products but also contributed to the growth and development of the agricultural community.
Avocadoria is a story of resilience, innovation, and social responsibility. It’s a story that inspires us to dream big, to embrace challenges, and to believe in the power of our collective efforts to create a better future.
Ian Phillip Villaruel
Homecare Brand Director | Procter & Gamble
2024 Mansmith Young Market Masters Awardee for Marketing Management
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY. IAN VILLARUEL is the next recipient of MANSMITH YOUNG MARKET MASTERS AWARDS because he is a visionary brand builder bringing JOY to the HOUSEHOLDS, to the ORGANIZATION, and to the COMMUNITY.
Ian Villaruel is an exceptional marketing leader who has consistently brought JOY to households, organizations, and communities through his work as the Brand Director for JOY Dishwashing Liquid at P&G Philippines. Ian’s unwavering commitment and strategic vision have propelled JOY to new heights, transforming it into a market leader despite challenging circumstances.
BRINGING JOY TO THE HOUSEHOLDS. JOY is the market leader in the Dish Care Category, renowned for its iconic slogan “isang patak, isang katutak” (one drop washes tons [of dishes]) which promises superior cleaning for greasy dishes. By 2021, due to economic recession and inflation, consumers switched to lower-priced alternatives such as dishwashing paste (“PASTE”) and ordinary liquid/dilutes (“DILUTES”). These cheaper alternatives gained traction prominently in its stronghold regions: DILUTES in Luzon and PASTE in Visayas/Mindanao (VisMin). Recognizing that DILUTES and PASTE were strong in different regions, Ian devised a two-pronged approach for JOY’s brand strategy in 2022. The first strategy targeted PASTE, while the second focused on DILUTES. Implementing the two-pronged strategy, Ian did not do a national campaign. He made JOY campaigns regionalized and tailored them to communicate to PASTE and DILUTE users. Communications in Luzon emphasized JOY’s superiority over DILUTES, highlighting its ability to remove grease and malodor without the need for multiple rewashes. Meanwhile, communications in VisMin showcased JOY’s superiority over PASTE, emphasizing its effective grease cleaning without rewashing, food wastage, or family safety risks from soap residue.
This insight-led intervention resulted in a remarkable turnaround for JOY in VisMin, shifting from a 5% decline to 8% growth (13 percentage points higher than pre-campaign) within the first six months of Ian’s intervention (January 2022 to June 2022). Additionally, JOY’s business in VisMin grew +7% and +12% in 2022 & 2023 respectively. However, the strategy did not yield the same results in Luzon against DILUTES. Ian’s strategy was to continue communicating JOY’s better performance versus DILUTES in all media platforms and store displays. Additionally, he developed a trial program specifically targeted at DILUTE users. By identifying a key product within JOY’s portfolio, the 475ML Medium Bottle, Ian offered it at a promotional price of P99, matching the retail selling price of most DILUTE products in the market. To enhance the trial program’s success, Ian simplified JOY’s value equation to “1 Joy = 3 Dilutes” and overcommunicated this message at the point of purchase. This intervention resulted in a significant turnaround for Luzon sales, increasing from a decline of 6% to a growth of 9% from July 2022 to December 2022. This represented a 15-percentage point improvement compared to the pre-intervention period. Furthermore, in 2023, Luzon sales continued to grow by an additional 3% compared to the previous year.
Through his regionalized approach, Ian successfully mitigated JOY’s losses in 2022, keeping sales flat, and eventually achieved a national growth of 6% in 2023. Not only did he grow the business, but he also made a notable impact by improving the dishwashing experience for Filipino consumers – truly BRINGING JOY TO THE HOUSEHOLDS.
BRINGING JOY TO THE ORGANIZATION. Ian’s leadership extends beyond the JOY business in the Philippines. On top of his base work, Ian also plays an active role in organizational development in P&G Philippines. He works with a team to create learning plans for P&G’s Brand Marketing Function, with one mission of equipping P&G Brand Builders with relevant skills to stay ahead in the industry and prepare them to be the next CEOs.
In 2023, he led series of trainings to drive capability of new P&G Brand Managers who were less than 1 year in the company. He led the localization of P&G’s global marketing trainings and redesigned the course to tailor fit to the specific roles & responsibilities of all attendees. This made the workshop more meaningful and beneficial, equipping the new Brand Managers with necessary skills to make smart business decisions in their respective brands / businesses. During the same year, Ian organized a workshop that inspired more impactful P&G campaigns. He did this by designing series of training sessions for 60 P&G Brand Managers & Directors that enabled them to launch campaigns that are more data-based and insight-led – ultimately delivering the P&G promise of improving lives of our Filipino consumers. Since then, P&G campaigns have been more insight-based and business-driving – particularly for brands like Downy, Pampers, and Safeguard.
With his commitment to excellence and contribution to capability building for P&G’s Brand Marketing Function, Ian is undeniably BRING JOY TO THE ORGANIZATION.
BRINGING JOY TO THE COMMUNITY. As JOY’s Brand Director, Ian leveraged the brand’s superiority in oil / grease removal to give back and help local communities. When Mindoro province was affected by an oil spill in 2023, Ian was one of the first to pledge JOY’s assistance to the local government. He sent JOY products to aid the affected families in cleaning their livelihood materials. Additionally, he pledged support to the Philippine Coast Guard in Mindoro by providing JOY products for the Oil Spill Clean-up Taskforce to clean their suits, gears, and tools. This community impact initiative benefited more than 75,000 affected families in Mindoro, demonstrating Ian’s passion for BRINGING JOY TO THE COMMUNITY.
Outside his P&G capacity, Ian is an advocate of health and wellness. Recognizing the lack of accessible and affordable cycling studios, Ian saw an opportunity to make indoor cycling more enjoyable and accessible. In 2020, he opened his own cycling studio with a mission to offer classes at a friendlier rate compared to the industry average. Over the course of four years, his cycling studio has attracted more than 100 regular clients, creating a community of individuals who share a passion for fun workouts. Ian’s studio has not only made physical well-being attainable and sustainable for many people but also exemplifies his personal advocacy to bring joy to the community.