Ads & Ends — Nanette Franco-Diyco
MARKETING-MADE-SIMPLE.COM defines word-of-mouth advertising as “the unpaid spread of a positive marketing message from person to person. It can take place directly using the human voice or can be transmitted via any communicative means such as through the internet or via text message.”
In our ever increasingly complex world of communications in the marketing arena today, the word-of-mouth push can be the easiest and a most effective way of arriving at a dependable choice of action in the consumer buying system.
My cousin and his wife breezed into the city for a hello-and-goodbye holiday visit, where their activity was uncompromisingly confined to Makati. Before the final goodbyes filled the air, the wife had a special request. She had to get the right gifts for her neighbors abroad, veritably a whole subdivision filled with true-blue Americans in their 40’s and 50’s. These families had never come to our country; she had to give them what, in essence, would be a reflection of our culture and the “Filipino’s exquisite taste for the elegant and the beautiful.”
Give me one single Makati shop that can meet this demand: “We must have a bevy of choices, then we point at our selection, and voila, all are packed in one single afternoon.”
I called up four close friends, whom I find the most credible when it comes to “shopping for the very best en punto.” This is a sure-fire application indeed of word-of-mouth advertising: Tita Reverente, Mina Contreras, Daisy Ongkiko, and Rose Gonzaga — we are five in total agreement that Kultura in SM Makati is the place to go.
It was amazing that we enjoyed the shopping adventure that whole afternoon with our tourist friend in tow. Among the five of us, we “locals” bought nearly as much as our recommendations for our guest’s American friends.
SM Marketing Vice-President Millie Dizon, whom we bumped into, stressed that Kultura’s most popular items are indeed souvenirs. My cousin went berserk over the fashion accessories that she exclaimed would be real treasures abroad. They were real stones in different shapes, colors and shades. I myself could not resist a one-of-a-kind pair of hoop earrings meticulously embedded with the finest mini-pearls that completely covered its gold base.
She chose a beautiful frame made of white marble laden with pearls for a friend scheduled to tie the knot come June. “Heavy, but truly irresistible,” she sighed.
She also depleted Kultura of all the colors of fans that looked like genuine Spanish fans, complete with intricate carving. She said she was hopping to Indonesia en route to the US, “and Indonesia was now sizzling hot.” All of a sudden, she had expanded her gift recipients to Indonesians!
We were impressed with the wide selection of Filipiniana and men’s barongs, including hand-embroidered wraps that she went gaga over. Kultura, per Millie, was also honored to have been invited by the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Trade and Industry to showcase its barong and piña collections for the wives of the participating foreign affairs and trade ministers during the recent APEC. We stashed away a total of five wraps for formal occasions.
What provinces are involved in acquiring Kultura’s widest array of products? Millie said they are sourced from all over the Philippines. “We seek to be a hub of the best products that the Philippines has to offer — for instance, shells and capiz from Cebu, nito jars made by Mangyan artisans, and fashion accessories designed by Manila’s most talented.”
It pleased us to learn that Kultura, apart from SM Makati, is also located in Megamall, SM Aura, Mall of Asia, SM City Cebu, SM Seaside City Cebu, and SM Lanang Premier. It’s also in most SM stores nationwide and boutiques in Pico de Loro Beach Club, Taal Vista Hotel, and Molo Mansion Iloilo.
Our guest bought several boxes of dried mangoes with tasteful ribbons. She could not resist the multi-colored woven bags that Millie informed us were of special product lines from Crafts for a Cause, “where Kultura helps support marginalized communities and… World Wide Fund for Nature.”
Adding to the entire non-stop unforgettable shopping experience in Kultura, we noted the impeccably dressed sales force in native costumes, all smiling, articulate, polite, and of utmost service to us. Last but not least, my touristy cousin was unexpectedly gifted with their holiday promo item: a bright red bamboo amplifier.
On the day of her flight, she called to say that she brought the red bamboo “which will surely prove to be one of the most precious, creative Filipiniana gifts of all!”
(As an addendum, she advised that because it surprisingly works efficiently as an amplifier, Kultura should make it available as a regular item for sale.).
Congratulations, Kultura — you make us proud!
NANETTE FRANCO-DIYCO ended her 15th year advertising career as Vice-President of JWT, segueing into the world of academe, currently teaching communications at the Ateneo de Manila University.
nanettediyco131@gmail.com
