The 1st Mansmith YMMA Awardees 2006

Congratulations to the winners of the 1st Mansmith Young Market Masters Awards!

Recognizing the young and rising stars of marketing in the Philippines, the Mansmith YMMA has made its picks. Not only have they sold good marketing ideas, but they have sold themselves with sound frameworks and supporting wits.

Meet the Awardees

	JOSEPH CHARLES B. CRUEL Mansmith YMMA AWARDEE FOR CONSUMER PRODUCTS – BRAND MANAGEMENTThe Mansmith YMMA Awardee for Brand Management is a Senior Product Manager for Beverage Marketing of Universal Robina Corporation (URC). Milestones of his 3-year stint with URC include the development of brand successes such as Refresh Flavored Drinks and C2 Green Tea generating phenomenal returns amounting to 115% and 208% above targets, respectively. Responsible for the development of brand test protocols in the company, Joseph’s genius in brand activation is widely credited for what is touted as the most successful product launch in the entire history of URC. He also integrated channel marketing discipline into brand management through the conceptualization of systems and procedures in covering on-premise accounts that led to the beverage line’s 23% contribution to the total beverage Ready To Drink (RTD) category in less than a year, surpassing even the total coffee sales of URC.Prior to joining URC, Joseph Cruel was Product Manager for strong brands across different Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) categories such as Purefoods Hormel, RFM Swift and Remy Martin. Joseph’s experience in these companies evidently widened his understanding of the industry and further developed his skills in brand management. His early achievements include among others, the creation of the first co-marketing activity between Remy Martin and Philip Morris as well as a media co-branding activity with another multinational that led to sales achievement of +38% against quota.A product of the De La Salle University Graduate School of Business, Joseph is currently sharing his expertise in the field of marketing through teaching assignments in Don Bosco College and in his alma mater, Miriam College.
	ANSON S. DICHAVES Mansmith YMMA AWARDEE FOR CONSUMER PRODUCTS – CUSTOMER DEVELOPMENT Recipient of this year’s Mansmith YMMA for Customer Development, Anson Dichaves is a man imbued with Filipino creativity and inventiveness, and is proud of it. Currently the Regional Customer Development Training Director for Unilever Asia, Anson holds an impressive track record in the field of customer engagement that redefined Key Account Management and Trade Marketing in the region.Through the implementation of his brainchild Shopper Marketing Program, Anson reinvented the supplier-retailer relationship through partnership-selling and created an experiential shopping environment for consumers. In 2001, he developed the system behind Store Layout Management that streamlined the allocation of category space in retail areas. This initiative resulted to a 56% increase in store run rates and earned for Unilever the 2001 Supplier of the Year Award. Motivated by the goal of offering solutions to consumers, Anson took part in the conceptualization of Solution Centers that illuminated shopper experience and created added value rather than mass product presentations. This move introduced beauty consultations for the Health and Beauty Solution Centers of Unilever and gave the company the 2003 Supplier of the Year Award. In 2004, Unilever won the best Efficient Customer Response (ECR) project for Category Management and was named Overall Winner of ECR in Asia through Anson’s successful establishment of an integrated marketing program at the store level. Utilizing the advantages of modern technology, this program allowed the implementation of targeted direct marketing activities that contributed at least a 10% increase in in-store traffic and 17% growth in store sales.Rewarded with an expatriate assignment in Singapore, Anson now sees himself at the forefront of a long journey into the world of customer development, and is ever eager to convert his Pinoy Big Ideas into reality.
	RICARTE A. GAPUZ, JR.  Mansmith YMMA AWARDEE FOR SERVICES – ENTREPRENEURSHIPThe Mansmith YMMA winner for Entrepreneurship is known as the entrepreneur nurse who opened to the Filipino the doors of opportunity through medical services.In 1994, two years after finishing his nursing degree from the University of Santo Tomas, Ricarte Gapuz put up R.A. Gapuz Review Center, Inc. (RAGRC), a firm dedicated to the development of nursing in the country. With his background as a certified nurse, coupled with insightful market research on the burning behavior and entry level competencies of its target segment, Ricarte led the development of an innovative nursing review program that significantly reduced the duration of nursing review from three months to ten days. Currently, RAGC is the industry leader with 45% market share for local nursing reviews and 49% for review on foreign nursing exams. Averaging at least 98% passing rate for RAGC reviewees as opposed to the 49% national rate. In 2005, RAGC was awarded the elusive Superbrands thus being the only Nursing Review Center in the world bearing this seal of brand excellenceRicarte, through Gapuz Publications, authored five best-selling nursing review books that complement his vision of advancing the profession of nursing in the country. He also received various awards that recognize his achievements in entrepreneurship. These include the 2005 Agora Award for Entrepreneurship, a finalist in the 2004 Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Philippines, and the 2004 Entrepreneur 10 by Entrepreneur Magazine, to mention a few.
	CAROLINE L. LOPEZ Mansmith YMMA AWARDEE FOR PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTS – ADVOCACY MARKETINGFor Pharmaceutical Products, this year’s Mansmith YMMA Awardee for Advocacy Marketing is a woman who knows what truly delights a man. This woman is Caroline Lopez. As Product Manager of Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD), Caroline attends to the phenomenon of hair loss – something that most men inevitably face at a certain point in their lives.Responsible for MSD’s male pattern hair loss wonder Propecia, Caroline addressed challenges that include key promotions, competitive and psychological concerns intrinsic to the industry and a predominantly patriarchal Filipino culture. Seen as opportunities, Caroline embarks on the simultaneous implementation of key strategies to break the barriers abovementioned. These strategies include an aggressive advocacy campaign that situates hair loss as a preventable condition, partnership with the Philippine Dermatological Society emphasizing the role of practitioners in the provision of medical hair loss solutions, and tie-ups with hair well-being advocates such as premium hair salon chains. Reinforced through strategic placement of advertising in print, radio and new media, Caroline is widely responsible for Propecia’s phenomenal growth that translates to 96% growth in market share in the first year alone. In 2005, Propecia continues to grow by 30% thus capturing 99.1% of market share by the third quarter.Dubbed as the ProHAIR program, Caroline’s genius in marketing advocacy earned the recognition of MSD Asia as an effective and innovative benchmark in marketing the product, and is deemed to hold its leadership under her guidance.
	EDISON C. ORIBIANA Mansmith YMMA AWARDEE FOR BUSINESS TO BUSINESS PRODUCTS – BUSINESS DEVELOPMENTIn the field of Business-to-Business Products, this year’s Mansmith YMMA Awardee for Business Development loves colors and is a staunch advocate of change. Edison Oribiana joined Charter Chemical and Coating Corporation in 1993 as Marketing Representative and made his way up the corporate ladder to his current position as Business Development Manager.Armed with extensive experience in the industry, Edison has contributed to the development and implementation of business development and customer relations management programs that have catapulted the market share and distribution of Davies Paints. His major achievements include the creation of the Davies Barkada Painters Club and its high-end counterpart, Davies Premium Club. Backed by market insights, these initiatives seek to identify key decision-makers in the purchase of paint products across the different segments targeted by the company. The Painters Club now boasts of a membership base of at least 8,500 painters nationwide while the affiliates of the Premium Club include the most prominent names in the construction industry. Edison is also responsible for the company’s strategic and early entry into the Do-it-Yourself market through co-branding activities with the leading builder’s depot chains in the country. Widely credited for the successes of these programs, Edison is accountable for the overall sales boost generated by these activities.In 2005, he conceived the highly successful Make A Change tri-media and below-the-line campaign for Davies that ushered the company’s aggressive bid for dominance. He also led his company into the Color Factory year in line with the quest for leadership, and the passion of building a truly World-Class Filipino Brand in Davies.
	JADELINE MANALAYSAY TULIO Mansmith YMMA AWARDEE FOR CONSUMER PRODUCTS – RETAIL MARKETINGThis year’s Mansmith YMMA Awardee for Retail Marketing is a seasoned executive behind streamlined brand building innovations in retail marketing. Jade Tulio is currently Vice President for Marketing of HBC. Under her marketing tutelage, the company achieved 100% increase in aided awareness through her brainchild, Tatak Exclusibo campaign that in turn registered 500% growth of HBC’s Beauty Exclusive private label product lines.Prior to HBC, Jade was Business Unit Head in Pascual Laboratories and Senior Product Manager in L’Oreal Philippines. Her marketing achievements include the successful launch of Betadine feminine wash that grew the category by 100% and captured 10% market share from the lone market player then. Jade was also responsible for the remarkable re-launch of Potencee Vitamin C that surpassed volume performance per tablet of its competitor by 15% and yielded 107% growth in the category.In 2005, the Philippine Retailer’s Association honored HBC with the Outstanding Retailer of the Year Award, recognizing the application of Jade’s innovative ideas in beauty retailing, such as HBC E-looks magazine, HBC’s customized mini magalog, HBC Website, E-Card paperless Gift cheques, 1-day lowest pricing, 1-hour 50% off, institutionalized media tour, launching of the SanSan Healthy and Kulay marketing campaign leading to HBC’s first billion sales in 2005.With her recent promotion, Jade’s extensive experience and exposure charts a promising future of brand building success stories as she cuts across market types – from the burgis to the jologs – in her new capacity as HBC Corporate Marketing Officer.