SHARING AGORA LESSONS

For almost 40 years, the Agora Awards in Marketing Excellence has recognized outstanding achievements in different fields and sectors of Philippine business.

It is a highly coveted distinction among Filipino business enterprises and entrepreneurs, considered as the “Oscars of Philippine Marketing.” First given out by the Philippine Marketing Association (PMA) in 1979, close to 300 Agoras have been awarded to different individuals and business entities.

The Awards recognizes innovative, creative and intrepid Filipino companies, entrepreneurs, business professionals, government agencies and social institutions who have contributed greatly in the advancement of marketing excellence in the country.

For each decade in the 37 years that the Agora has been awarded, the PMA has published a book containing lessons and stories from past Agora winners, which the organization wants to share to students and people outside of marketing.

The last Agora book was published in 2009 and for this decade, the PMA intends to launch another Agora book entitled, The Agora Way: Shared Lessons and Values on Philippine Marketing Excellence.

The new anthology will feature experiences and anecdotes of 37 Agora luminaries from 2009 to present. Cebu Pacific president and CEO Lance Gokongwei will share lessons that his father imparted to him. V-Cargo Worldwide president Paulo Tibig will give insights about joining the ranks of wellknown logistics solutions providers. BBDO’s David Guerrero will share advice on sustaining businesses. The Agora Way is an essential guidebook for every budding marketing professional or entrepreneur.

Other Agora awardees that will be featured in book include business leaders Socorro Ramos of National Book Store, Tony Tan Caktiong of Jollibee, furniture designer Kenneth Cobonpue, weaver Leonarda Capuyan, and clothing retailer Ben Chan.

The anthology will be published into two editions: a student and a deluxe edition. For every copy of the deluxe edition that the PMA sells to companies, it will be giving a student edition to a public school or state university.

“This is really the ultimate aim of the Agora — for each winner to be recognized for what they’ve done and for students and people outside of marketing to learn their stories, because, truly, every person in this day and age, people must have some marketing acumen in order to be successful in life. We assure you that the stories in this anthology will really give lasting and meaningful lessons to our future marketing professionals,” says The Agora Way chairperson Gwen Galvez The Agora Way: Shared Lessons and Values on Philippine Marketing Excellence published by the Philippine Marketing Association will be launched in December 2016.