PANA Foundation: WISDOM AND VALUES

Blen Fernando definitely had other plans for 2019, and then she was called upon to become PANA Foundation chairperson one more time, and she says all of these with a laugh.

As far as reluctant leaders go, Fernando has stepped up to the plate whenever she took on leadership roles at PANA and PANAF. “When I became [PANA] president, it was a very critical time,” she recalls. “It was the year GMA7 left the KBP, KBP left the Ad Board, in 2005. It was critical because people said that if we handled it wrong, it was goodbye to industry unity.”

It was also during this term that the association did the twoyear long landmark Clutter Study, which revealed that brand recall in the Philippines gradually declines, instead of a sharp drop in that last study.

A follow-up research is needed after more than a decade and it may show a dif

ferent result with the growth of digital and social media. Perhaps viewers today can take only so much of TV commercials.

Fernando explains, “Interestingly, Filipinos appear to look at advertising—TV, print, radio, digital ads—as part of entertainment.”

This insight highlighted PANA’s self-appointed mandate: truth in advertising then, championing responsible brand building now. It goes back to the responsibilities advertisers have to the general public, their consumers, and to each other. PANA Foundation’s programs for 2019 underscore this accountability of being the “heart” of the advertisers association.

This year’s program goes back to the familiar PANA Foundation House framework. There’s the banner of providing leadership, guidance, and support in effective research, development, and improvement of marketing communications and its related fields, in the service of responsible brand building. Under this are three pillars: education, technology, and values formation.

Education: Going where Guidance Is Needed

The PANAnaw Students Competition initially challenged college students with case studies to market an imaginary brand. However, PANAF realized that it was as important to do something more socially relevant, which opened doors to several possibilities.

The IMC campaign entries over the past years promoted themes such as responsible tourism, health and wellness, national disaster management, and traffic management. The winning school entries were presented to relevant government offices, like the Traffic Management Bureau and the Metro Manila

Development Authority—the Shake Drills and survival kits of today resulted from this contest.

This year, Fernando takes this a step further. “This time, maybe we should relaunch PANAF by looking beyond the private schools and college students. In the planning session, we identified the things that would help the long-term development of the country.”

The Asian Development Bank’s annual reports identified key elements for development, which PANAF then clustered those relevant to the foundation into the three pillars of education, technology, and values formation.

What’s more, PANAF returned to addressing a need from the provinces with The Roadshow for IMC for

PANA (TRIP). First executed in 2008, PANAF volunteers—trustees and guest speakers went to the provinces and brought workshops and talks to them. They visited Baguio, Laoag, Naga, Bacolod, and Pampanga, among others. “We are in our best elements when we go out of town,” Fernando observes.

“We want to strengthen TRIP this year. Kids outside Metro Manila are so hungry for knowledge.” It’s not just the students, too; there are teachers, as well as the small and medium entrepreneurs who need guidance for brand building. Thus the content for this year’s TRIP deals with the basics of marketing and responsible brand building—valuable knowledge where it’s needed the most.

TRIP brings brand builders out of town to the grassroots and offers the students, teachers, and local business owners the concept of responsible advertising, and with it, more options for doing business, pursuing careers, and even teaching.

Fernando also wants to introduce a senior high school track for PANAnaw, challenging high school seniors, for example, into making documentaries on socially relevant issues, like HIV awareness.

Technology: Virtual Presences and Partnerships

For this pillar, PANAF explores the potentials of the digital sphere for its advocacy. The industry has shifted technologies, further expanding the marketing and advertising sectors. Internally, many communications take place online, with publications like PANA Edge covering association events and by maintaining an active digital PR presence on social media.

The Foundation also looks at exploring opportunities with relevant organizations like Google Philippines.

Such partnerships will hopefully use digital technology to augment the Foundation’s programs and reach out to digital natives , especially those outside Metro Manila, who need guidance in the branding field.

Values Formation: Cornerstones

The Araw Values Awards comes back in 2019, once more calling on advertisers for materials on the seven cornerstone values of the Philippines: love of God and respect

for all religious beliefs; commitment to truth, honesty, and justice; love of country and respect for national customs and traditions; reverence for the family unit, marriage, or responsible parenthood; respect and care for human life and dignity, and the rights of all; respect for law and authority, and the promotion of self-discipline; and concern for and preservation of the environment. The contest opens in July of each year and finishes in November, and the event is telecast by January of the following year by media partner-ABS-CBN. It probably is the only competition in the world that honors advertising materials purely on societal values. For the second straight time, PANAF’s Blen Fernando will chair the 11th season of the Araw Awards, thus further solidifying the partnership of the Advertisers with the Advertising Foundation of the Philippines, owners of the Araw Values Awards.

There’s also the PANAF Youth Congress, where each year has a different theme on values formation: responsible tourism (2018), world-class Filipinos (2017), and redefining success (2016), for example.

Last year’s Congress discussed considering long-term benefits over short-term profits, tourism with a conscience, and traveler-led tourism.

“Last year’s brand-building was for the biggest brand we have—the Philippines. We’ll always go back to responsible brand building—aligning with the original mission of PANA,” Fernando concludes.

Individual Volunteers

PANAF also needs more volunteers. “We realized that PANAF can invite individuals who are passionate in contributing their time, talent and energy to the foundation without having to bring in their entire company,” Fernando explains. This opens opportunities for individual practitioners in associated fields for giving back to society.