4 Things About Subway That Impressed Me

1. The power of choice and customization

I really like restaurants (and other products and services) that allow their customers to choose and customize what they will get. In Subway, they allow the customers to choose everything – the flavour of the Sub, the bread to be used, the size, the extras, the veggies, the sauce and whether to make it a meal or not. This works, I think, because when there is more freedom, the customers become more involved in the process. When there is more involvement, there is more fun. Plus it comes rare too as not too many restaurants (and other products and services providers) offer this.

2. Fresher and healthier ingredients

That night, I was actually looking for a new and healthier option. (I think I’ve memorized all the restaurants inside Robinsons Galleria already). So even though Subway is an overpass away from the mall, I pursued it.

Subway actually became a perfect choice for what I was looking for that night. Looking for something new? Check! Looking for something healthier? Check! It is Subway’s brand promise actually – eat fresh and healthy. Subway provides a better alternative for those who are already sick and tired of the run-of-the-mill (and sometimes unhealthy) choices.

3. Simple and organized ordering system

From the starting point to the cashier, Subway’s ordering counter makes sure that the customers are guided in every step of the way. First, I was made to choose the flavour – I tried Steak and Cheese. Second, the bread – White Italian for me. Third, the size – 6 inches. Fourth, I have to choose the extras – I said yes to cheese. Fifth, the veggies – I chose all. Sixth, the sauces – I chose Southwest and Honey Mustard because I like it spicy and sweet. (Customers are allowed up to two sauces of choice.) And lastly, I upgraded it to meal – I chose Lay’s over chocolate chip cookies. And I chose iced tea for drink. I really like that I am also the one who will get my drink from the dispenser.


4. Very friendly crew members

Well, they have to because patience is much needed when there is more customer involvement in the ordering process. Some customers may change their minds too easily and ask too many questions – just like me. But they were all so polite and accommodating.

Kudos to the people behind bringing Subway to the Philippines!

3 Things I Understood About Putting Up A Business While Eating At Angel's Burger

I wasn’t particular hungry tonight but there is something about Angel’s Burger, a 24/7 burger and hotdog stall in the Philippines, that made me come to it. Perhaps, Angel’s reminds me so much of all those sleepless nights when I quit my job to become a freelancer and all I did was write, write and write. I am in that “write zone” kind of night again and maybe that’s why Angel’s popped into my head.

And so I set off into the night only to come back with a blog post idea in my head. These are the three things that I understood about putting up a business while eating my favorite footlong hotdog (with coleslaw and hot sauce) at Angel’s Burger.

1. Availability is king.

No matter how good and no matter how affordable your product is, if it’s not available, it won’t sell.

I remember three remarkable lessons from the past that are aligned with this statement.

First, when I was still working for Lamoiyan Corporation (makers of Hapee toothpaste), there was a season when the most popular toothpaste brand in the Philippines, Colgate, disappeared in the shelves of the supermarkets of the biggest mall chain in the Philippines, SM. It was one of our highest grossing seasons in terms of sales not necessarily because buyers shifted voluntarily to Hapee. But because their brand was not available. I knew back then that the people from Colgate are in big trouble.

That’s when I learned my biggest lesson on availability and distribution management. I realized that no matter how much we, as marketers and manufacturers, work our assess off, if our toothpastes won’t make it to the shelves of our distribution channels, our work are in vain.

Way back in college, I don’t remember being excited about my classes in distribution and channel management. Then in the real world, I realized that the availability of the product is actually as important as manufacturing. This totally changed my perspective in my work as a Trade Marketing Assistant.

My second lesson is now when I am practicing as a real estate broker. In our business, location is king. The philosophy is no matter how beautiful and no matter how affordable your towers are, if they are in bad locations, they will be very hard to sell. In fact, the other side can also be true. If you have an ugly tower in a high-demand location, chances are people will still – at the very least – inquire about your project.

My third lesson is about McDonald’s. I read somewhere before that what made McDonald’s popular is not because it had the best tasting burgers and fries in the world. They key  – as the author discussed – is because it made itself very much available to everyone. It may not serve very tasty food but when the price is right and it’s fast, convenient and available, most likely, it will sell. And sell McDonald’s did!

So, there really are a huge lessons on availability and distribution management. For people like me who would like to put up a business, let us not put availability in the backseat. Some businesses placed it in front like Angel’s and look at where they are now.

2. Price is queen.

The key – I believe – is becoming lower than the competition in terms of price. Let’s say Angel’s biggest competition is Jollibee’s Yum burger. Even without checking out the price, I know that Angel’s win in this category.

But not only that, Angel’s even introduced a new purchasing scheme – the perpetual and the never-ending “Buy 1, Take 1” promo. Through this, buyers were placed under the impression that they can actually buy two for the price of one. In Tagalog, we even have a term for it – “sulit”. Or getting more of what you pay for.

But of course, Angel’s is not doing a sacrifice sale every single day. That is called suicide, not business. The price for two is actually the price for two. Period. No special promo going on.

But what Angel’s unlocked is this – all else equal, Filipinos will most likely choose the product that has a freebie over the one that has one.

3. Overall quality and taste are the heirs to the throne.

Personally, I like Angel’s footlong hotdog with coleslaw and hot sauce. With its price, I find it even tastier than the schubligs, bockwursts and other foreign-sounding sausages you buy in cinemas. You see, when you are stingy, the price becomes part of the overall quality and taste. Haha!

But no, seriously. Angel’s got some hotdog that is good enough for a repeat purchase with a low barrier to entry in terms of price and availability.

Kudos to this burger stall that has kept me company during those sleepless and hungry nights while doing some overthinking – just like tonight.

P.S. Photos were taken on a different day.

3 Things I Like About Train To Busan

1. Not a typical scary movie.

When I was young, I saw a movie entitled The Others by Nicole Kidman. At a young age, I already know that The Others is different from the other scary movies that I usually see. Not so much of annoying and deafening sound effects. Not so much of scary make-ups. What I realized upon seeing The Others is this – I can actually be scared by the depth of the story and how intelligently the plot was masterplanned. The Others definitely elevated my taste in scary movies that it became difficult for me to appreciate movies from the same genre henceforth.

Until Train to Busan came.

TTB ended the long drought of my appreciation for horror movies. Finally, there’s a new scary movie that I can actually like. Just the right amount of sound effects. Perfect make-ups to portray the zombies. Superb acting by everyone – especially by the main cast. And above all, a good story to base all these elements on.

2. All emotions in a single film.

TTB scared me and made me laugh and cry at the same time. I call it a “complete film”. When filmmakers attempt to create completes film, I praise them in my mind. I sincerely believe that the enjoyment of their audience is their top priority. For one, it takes careful planning to plot out each and every emotions in the film. You cannot just place the emotions anywhere you like – it will be a disaster. I believe there's a plan or a certain sequence that must be followed and it takes a highly skilled filmmaker to successfully plan let alone execute this.

3. Koreans are master filmmakers.

I thought Koreans only excel in love stories and dramas. I even counted myself once as a fan of hit TV series such as Stairway To Heaven and Endless Love. For a season, I also became curiously addicted to Korean movies and this is when I discovered awesome movies such as “Sunny”, “Man From Nowhere” and “Windstruck”. These movies are from varying genres such drama, action, romance and comedy. And these - I believe - are some of the greatest movies ever made.

Adding TTB to the list of my favorite Korean movies, all the genres are now complete. In my mind, I am now convinced that Koreans as master filmmakers.

The Magic Of Thinking Small

Washing the dishes is such an overwhelming task for me. Earlier, I just washed the dishes and
utensils that I used last night -- I'm a work-in-progress, I know.

When I stood in front of the sink and looked at the task ahead of me, I already felt spent. Still, I went on and touched the first plate.

"If only there's an easier way to do this," I said to myself. When I was about to touch the first spoon, an Aha! moment came upon me.

We get overwhelmed easily because we think of the task at hand as a whole. To solve this dilemma, we should think about the smaller steps in completing the whole task. We should think small.

When this thought became "complete" in mind, an extra jolt of energy was formed inside me that made the whole task of washing the dishes much easier.

In fact, I am here now in front of my laptop writing about this newly found discovery.

Perhaps you have a task that you continue to procrastinate upon because merely thinking about it already bogs you down. It can be a huge task at work or a new exercise program that you want to start -- but never did.

Or it can be as simple as washing the dishes and any other task at home -- just like what I had earlier.

When you find yourself overwhelmed by a task at hand, stop thinking big. Start thinking small.

It worked for me. It will work for you too!

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." -Lao Tzu

Miracles from Heaven

Perhaps God is giving me a chance to mourn.

Earlier, I decided to watch "Miracles From Heaven" -- alone. It is a story of the miraculous healing a 10-year old girl from Texas who was suffering from an incurable disease. One day, she and her older sister climbed a dead tree near their house just like what they do when they were young. While climbing the tree, she and her sister met an accident and she fell inside the hollow dead tree. When she was rescued and brought to the hospital that's when her healing started to take place.

There were so many scenes in the movie that made me remember the last few days of my grandma at the hospital. I cried so many tears in this movie even only during the first 10 minutes. Perhaps it was my time to cry now. When I was at the hospital until the burial of my grandma, I decided to be strong. I did not cry much. I have to be strong for the family. Someone has to entertain the guests and to help my eldest aunt in making sure that everything is running smoothly.

Above all, the movie reminded me to be steadfast with my faith. And that everyday is a gift from God. If we treat each day as a gift from God -- a special favor -- I believe that we will have a more grateful heart. And a grateful heart complains less, sees the positive side more and is happier.

I actually have so many things to say about having a grateful heart by treating each day as a gift, a miracle, and I believe that the movie came to me at the right time. But for now, I am going to say no more and just allow you guys to see the movie for yourselves. Enjoy!

4 Business Principles That May Help Startups

A few days back I had the awesome privilege to talk to two amazing people named Nap Garcia and John Martin Figuracion, founders of a startup called ProTEES Project. The project offers high quality shirts for groups and individuals with advocacy -- at no cost. I fell in love with the idea the first time I really get to know about it because I really believe in the genius of mirroring other causes using one's own business.

Because of that extended talk with Nap and John, I realized that there a lot of ideas a marketing professional like me can offer to those who are contemplating or currently putting up a startup business. I myself am a startup founder and my business called #BOTV is still on the works. I will definitely work on this project right after I am done will all these present commitments -- isa-isa lang.

Anyhoo, below are the 4 business principles that are stuck inside my head and ready to be shared anytime to any startup founder who may need it.

1. Business Model Canvas

What I really like about this tool created by Alexander Osterwalder is that it outlays in a single sheet of paper everything that you need to know about your business. It allows you to enumerate your Key Partners, Key Activities, Key Resources, Value Propositions, Customer Relationships, Channels, Customer Segments, Cost Structure and Revenue Streams in one place. Looking at them in one place gives you a sense of unity and oneness that should be present in all the elements of your business. Without this "solid feel" about your business, it's almost very difficult to describe it in a few words -- let alone starting it. By looking at everything that you need to see about your business, you must be quick in recognizing patterns and even roadblocks that shall allow you to strategically improve on things before you finally run your business idea. The Business Model Canvas is a wonderful creation and it's free! Download it here.

2. Positioning

What often startup founders forget because, sometimes, they become too enamored with their ideas is the importance of the "positioning" of their brand. Positioning (in my own word) is simply how your customers view your brand. It must be simple, single and solid. Before you launch your business to the market, make sure that your co-founders can explain the brand using just a few words. In fact, allow other people (in a mini-FGD, perhaps, during the conceptualization of the business) to describe to you your brand. If they find it hard it to describe your brand using just a few words, you have a problem. Tweak everything that can be tweaked -- your brand name, your logo, your tagline, your Business Model Canvas, your ads and etc. -- until you arrive at a satisfactory description of your own brand rendered by other people.

3. Blue Ocean Strategy

I learned about the Business Ocean Strategy way back in 2007 and I still believe that it is one of the greatest business principles ever invented. The book basically argues that to win in a market competition, a business need not compete. Instead, it must create its own "niche" away from the bloody ocean of competition where everyone is killing everyone. To be able to create one's own "niche", it must be able to differentiate itself from the competition. BOS suggests a practical way of doing this. Having the competition as the basis, a business must be able to Eliminate, Reduce, Raise and Create certain elements of it. For example, Ton Ton Thai Massage was able to create its own niche for itself by eliminating massage oils in its services. It then raised the use of garments in lieu of massage oils. Because of this, a certain segment of the market which dislikes massage oils during massage is being catered. Also, some market segments prefer stretching than rubbing which makes them a perfect target market for Ton Ton Thai Massage. Do not forget though that the end of BOS is encapsulated in two words -- value innovation. The result of BOS-ing your business must drive down the cost and drive up the innovation.

4. Simplicity 

One of the most prized possessions that I have as a marketing professional is the book called "Simplicty: The Secret To Effective Marketing" by Sunny Goh. The book basically guns for a single principle and that is, without suprise, simplicity. In everything that you do, never deviate from this principle. Some startup founders commit the error of spending time, energy and money on some things that can be acquired in the future because they become too excited. I say, if your business requires you to spend so much money on the onset, you are in for some hard business. Remember that you have to work as fast as you can to gain the ROI. So, as much as you can, spend and focus on things that really matter for the business.

*Please feel free to share this blog post to your friends and teammates.

The Rape of the Manila Metropolitan Theater

After today's grind, I happened to pass by this beautiful structure called the Manila Metropolitan Theater. Since high school, I have always wished that this structure will come back to life again and open its doors to those who are seeking the arts. Until this day, that dream is still alive.

The theater was designed by Juan Arellano during the 1930s. Architect Arellano is also the man behind the Legislative Building and the Manila Central Post Office. This is how the theater looks like now.

Umiyak ang umaga

Anong sinulat ni Enteng at Joey diyan

Sa pintong salamin

Di ko na mabasa

Pagkat merong nagbura

Ewan ko at ewan natin

Sinong nagpakana?

At bakit ba tumilapon ang Spoliarium

Diyan sa paligid mo?

-Spoliarium, Eraserheads

3 Major Takeaways During Personal Collection's ALFA-1 Launch

It was an honor to be invited by one of the biggest direct selling companies in the Philippines, Personal Collection, during the launch of their advanced men 's care line called ALFA-1. It was held at Blue Water Day Spa in San Juan. Here are my three major takeaways from the event.

1. A complete set of ALFA-1 products. ALFA-1, as a brand, encourages all men to use only products formulated for them. They say that men have thicker, tougher skin than women because of higher levels of testosterone and larger amounts of collagen and elastin. They say men also tend to have larger pores and oilier skin. As a product, ALFA-1 is infused with CoolActiv Technology, a unique formulation that gives a superior overall clean, a fresh scent and an extremely cool after-feel. During the event, I got a shampoo, facial wash, body soap, body lotion and body spray. How's that for a loot bag, eh?

2. Opportunity to meet ALFA-1's endorser. Albie Casino is ALFA-1's newest endorser. I may not have been able to really talk to him but my fellow bloggers liked him so much. They said he was nice, down to earth and approachable. No wonder why he was chosen to be the endorser of this important brand by Personal Collection.

3. Awesome experience at Blue Water Day Spa. Though it was only the first time for me to attend an event by Personal Collection, I would say that they already have the knack for making a blogging event really fun and enjoyable. Although they could have done the launch at just any events place but they chose to go the extra mile and decided to hold it at the heavenly Blue Water Day Spa. We were offered foot, back and massage at the theater room while we were watching Captain America. It was my first time to experience something like that as I was accustomed to going to regular spas. I really like the experience and I'm definitely be going back to Blue Water Day Spa!

Overall, it was an awesome experience. I can't wait to be invited again to the next events of
Personal Collection!

To know more about the brand, please like their Facebook Page.

Batangas, The Beautiful

Batangas is my mum's province. Every summer of my primary years, I will ask my parents to allow me to spend my vacation in Talisay, my mum's hometown. Even until now, I will never forget all the wonderful days that I spent in that place. The river where my cousins will wash our clothes every other day. The sinaing na tilapia, a slow-cooked dish using young tilapia fish in soy sauce and dried kamias fruits. This dish is usually cooked using firewoods and palayok (or claypot). Now, cooking using firewoods and claypot is a work of love. Since so much love is required in doing this (read: very difficult to do) the finished product usually never disappoints. This dish is loaded with flavors and textures. Next, sumang yakap and its sauce called kalamay-hati - this is definitely a must-try. Almost every household in Talisay has this delicacy every Undas or All Soul's Day. Also, the hills. Taal Volcano. Fruit-bearing trees such as duhat, chico, sineguelas, mangga, santol, guyabano, dalandan and coconut which are all just practically growing anywhere. Did I miss anything?

If there's one thing that always makes me excited about going back to this place is, I think, the warmth of the people and the simplicity of their lifestyle. (Yes, these two things are to be taken as one.) The cold breeze coming from the mountains during the night is nothing compared to the hospitality that my aunts and uncles had shown me throughout the years everytime I decide to stay with them during summer. They may have always felt that they weren't able to provide everything that I needed during those times because in their minds I was just a silly-needy city boy trying myself to get used to the life in the province but what they do not know is that Batangas will always be a big part of me and that I never needed to "try to get used to living in there" for by blood, I will always be a true blue Batangueno.

Di ga?

Best Tasting Spanish Bread

Spanish Bread is very popular in the Philippines. Despite its name, it is believed that the Spaniards did not actually hand down this yummy bread to the Filipinos.

My favorite Spanish Bread can be bought at PhP 5 each in an old bakery in Pureza St., Sta. Mesa, Manila. A few years ago, Julie's Bakeshop built one of their stalls in front this old bakeshop. Guess which one still stands until this day?

It's the old Spanish Bread bakery.

Angel's Burger

Angel's Burger is a popular burger stand in the Philippines. They popularized the Buy 1, Take 1 promo of burgers and they are open 24 hours. I was very surprised to see some of their stands in places as far as Talisay, Batangas and Tagaytay. I think Angel's Burger is all over the Philippines by now.

I like Angel's Burger a lot. During late night works, it is my companion being near my place in Sta. Mesa. Aside from satisfying my stomach hunger, it's a huge marketing case in my head. How can a humble burger stand be as big as this now?

The Magnolia Residences x Real Living Magazine

Last October 2014, a group of interior designers worked on the few units of The Magnolia Residences. Below are the photos of their works.

This project by Robinsons Land is located in New Manila, Quezon City. For two consecutive years, 2013 and 2014, The Magnolia Residences was awarded as Best Mixed-Use Development Project in the Philippines by the Asia Pacific Property Awards Development. 

The Magnolia Residences is still at pre-selling phase! For sample computations and viewing of sample units, please contact Mark Delgado at +63-998-367-0545 or at markjosephdelgado@ymail.com.