Building brands, creating strategies for SMEs
Three years ago, a group of millennials decided to form a company that would support small and medium enterprises not just in terms of marketing collaterals but also in terms of marketing strategies. Thinking that it would be their small contribution to the growth of the economy and also allow them to pursue their passions, they pushed for it despite warnings that it may not work.
Today, the company has played key roles in the rise of the fastest growing bakeshop chain in North Luzon or Mrs. G, the iconic Marison’s restaurant from Antipolo, an up and coming french fries chain in Metro Manila, a premium furniture shop, other concept restaurants, and theater companies. Because of their unique offering, they are also the trusted agency of the high growth categories/ special projects of established big brands such as SM Surplus, Nature’s Spring, and Philippine Airlines.
“When we started Brand Republic, we saw a lot of companies start with exciting ideas but end up failing in their businesses. We saw a potential there in terms of influencing not just their ads but also how they run their businesses by making sure there is marketing discipline in terms of positioning, products, finan- cials, and processes. However, there were many people who warned us about how it can be not financially sustainable given the limited resources of SMEs in investing on their marketing,” Brand Republic chief operating officer Jofel Gaddi said.
“The key of course was understanding the barriers to investing on good marketing and then offering the right services that will be of good value to our clients. There were a number of times that they were only expecting a presentation of ads but we presented a full marketing approach from positioning, pricing, channels, etc. Those extra services are standards in our packaged offering. That made it easier for us to make business owners appreciate the value of what we offer and also make them feel that we are a worthy investment,” Brand Republic chief marketing officer Florente Mario Garcia Jr. said.
“We don’t hire superstars in Brand Republic. Aside from just making the prices of our services go up, we realized that they don’t really share our vision to be able to elevate people who may not come from the best schools in the Philippines but those who have drive and potential. We are very proud to say that we are very hands on with the deFor velopment of our employees. We even do regular sessions with them with our friends in the industry who are great in their fields. Seeing them become better with their craft is rewarding,” said Markus Dayot, Brand Republic’s chief of design.
Asked what is their most significant achievement in the last three years, the three founders of Brand Republic are one in saying that it was the ability to offer relevant marketing services for the small and medium enterprises. For them, it is not the improvement in sales of their accounts, the amazing engagement rates of their ads in social media, the nice billboards they produce, or even the memorable events they put up, but it is about the change in culture that they have seen in the companies they serve.
“In making sure that there is transfer of the latest marketing knowledge to our clients and not just providing them with ads, we see them all as brand builders,” Florente said.