Carlo Borja: Marketing

At least that is what Krispy Kreme thinks. They are rewarding students with good grades by giving them free donuts.

I think it's a good marketing move. They are not only targeting the 13-24 demographic. They're going beyond that.

Imagine how many kids will tell their parents to get them to avail of these free donuts. Plus, it is very timely since it's the end of the school year and students are scrambling to achieve good grades.

Win-win situation.

Good job, Krispy Kreme Philippines.

Kids, study hard.

Just in time for Valentine's week, Jollibee just launched their social media campaign called #KwentongJollibeeValentineSeries.

As of this writing, there were already 2 videos released on their Facebook page.

Both went viral.

The first one talks about unconditional love and the other about never giving up (on your crush).

Basically, Jollibee went on with playing with my feelings tonight. These ads hit me right in the heart. I'd say it's definitely a successful viral marketing campaign.

I don't want to spoil the plot. Just head over to Jollibee's Facebook page and see for yourself.

Good job, Jollibee. You're winning in social media right now.

It's a relaxing Saturday noon and I've got nothing much to do. So, I decided to turn on the television to see which noon time shows are getting the buzz.

I decided to flip through "It's Showtime" and "Eat Bulaga." These are the noon time shows of ABS-CBN and GMA, the biggest networks here in the Philippines.

There's one thing very obvious that both these shows are doing. They are pushing the use of hashtags.

Named the world's most popular Filipino fast food restaurant, Jollibee was featured on BuzzFeed.

They got their staff to test out the Filipino food that Jollibee offers.

Their reactions are hilarious. I have always wondered what Americans think about our food.

This video just sums it all up:

BuzzFeed by the way is one of the most viral websites today. So, I would say this is really a huge marketing win for Jollibee.

I recently took the Digital Analytics Fundamentals Course provided by Google Analytics Academy.

It is an online course aimed at teaching the basics of digital analytics and how it can be used for better business performance in this digital world.

To quote the course description:

This three-week course provides a foundation for marketers and analysts seeking to understand the core principles of digital analytics and to improve business performance through better digital measurement.

This course came out after Google Analytics updated their interface. I believe it was also a way for them to easily introduce the redesign to a number of its users.

I got an 85% score on the final assessment and I passed the course.

Though there have been major differences, not much has changed in the interface. So, if you have used Google Analytics before, the learning curve for the new UI is not that steep.

If you want to learn the course yourself, Google has provided the video resources on the Google Analytics YouTube channel. Check it out there.

Enjoy learning and analyzing data!

It has been a week since Apple announced not just one but two new iPhones: the iPhone 5c and the iPhone 5s. This is a major shift in their product strategy as this was the first time Apple introduced two new iPhones in one year.

Apple's flagship phone at the moment is the iPhone 5s. It is a wonderful piece of technology. But, for this post we are not going to focus on that device.

The other device that was announced, the iPhone 5c is the one that is getting a lot of mixed reviews and mostly negative buzz. So, in defense of the iPhone 5c, here are some of the reasons why I think it is still a smart move for Apple to release it.

Kids are converting to smartphones

The iPod touch was once the king of Apple's iOS devices. But, the market for it is steadily declining. The reason? The kids that prefer having them are switching to smartphones.

Study shows kids are switching to smartphones

Releasing a phone that is screaming a youthful and colorful design might just absorb that market and channel them to the iPhone. These young people who are already familiar with the iOS ecosystem will definitely prefer iPhones. After all, the starting price of $99 for the iPhone 5c is similar to the iPod touch except you get to pay the monthly contract on the iPhone.

You can also think of it this way. The iPhone 5s is the high end model, a pro model for those who care about the recent and most powerful technology. This not for everyone. The iPhone 5c, on the other hand is for the casual smartphone users who prefer a more fun and diverse option.

Apple is after all a company that is making money

Apple cares about margins. All the other companies that directly compete with them care about the market share. You may or may not like it but that is what separates them from the competition.

It could be very much easy for them to throw out a super cheap iPhone to compete with the low cost handset market (this is what the media expected). But, it is very obvious that they intend to maintain the 'luxury' brand they have built over the years.

A luxury brand with products that deliver excellent quality would definitely mean profit. People do not mind paying a premium for these products. In fact, as of this writing the iPhone 5c is getting sold out in China (which is quite ironic because the media was also expecting this market to demand for a 'cheap' iPhone).

Another thing to consider here is how the iPhone 5c entered the market. For 5 years, there has only been one new iPhone that people will rave about. All the other people who find the 'new' iPhone too expensive (or extravagant) for their needs will settle with the 'old' iPhone released a year ago which will be repriced for a hundred dollars less. The latter, being 'old' is obviously not that attractive.

Right now, that strategy has changed. The iPhone 5c is technically (in almost all aspects) just the iPhone 5 from a year ago repackaged in colorful cases. And, from a marketing perspective "if it looks new, it's new."

Majority of the people who are not tech nerds (that care about specs) will obviously rave about it. The manufacturing cost was also cheaper for Apple because of the hard-coated polycarbonate material it was built with. The iPhone 5 was made from iodized aluminum which was a more expensive option. See why the iPhone 5 was discontinued? High margins obviously.

All those reasons show why Apple after all is a company that is concerned about making money.

Apple cares about the user experience

I have been closely following Apple as a company since 2008 (the year I became an Apple fanboy). That means I look not at the technical specifications of each of their products. I am more concerned of their marketing strategies, their competitive edge and their vision. And yes, I am a Steve Jobs fan too. All these things made me understand why Apple is such a valuable company.

Here is the part that most critics miss: Apple is a 'user experience' company. It's not about the tech specs anymore. You just can't judge this company by looking at how the other companies' hardware have more numbers. Apple is concerned of how you will be using each of the tiny little details they pack into the phone by presenting how each of them would solve a common user problem.

Let us jump to the iPhone 5s a bit to give you an example of what I mean. When they introduced the new 64-bit A7 chip, they demoed it with Infinity Blade III to show how the users would exactly benefit from a fast processing power. The M7 Motion Co-processor (which opens up a new world of possibilities) was demoed with the Nike + Move app to show how it intelligently calculates movements without sacrificing battery life. The Touch ID has carefully thought out how we could solve the hassles of the 'PIN code age' while emphasizing security. Apple never spends too much time detailing on hardware specs that most users won't care about (or maybe even understand). Again, only the tech nerds will ask about RAM, battery size, chips and all that stuff.

That means, having said all that, the iPhone 5c was obviously released after having carefully considered the user experience people will get from it. This brings me to the last point.

"It is beautifully, unapologetically plastic"

Those are the words of Sir Jony Ive, the design genius himself. I must admit. I cringed the first time I read the rumor of a 'plastic' iPhone. This is probably the biggest drawback of the iPhone 5c. But, taking into consideration how Apple is a 'user experience' company, I do not think Apple will sacrifice the build quality of such a beautiful piece of hardware. In its video ad, it says the iPhone 5c is "plastic, perfected."

I've read tons of blogs and first impressions of tech bloggers who were there at the September 10 event. I have never read a single one that said it felt like a cheap plastic iPhone (the iPhone 3G and 3GS were plastic but never felt cheap by the way). All of them were saying how surprisingly good, solid and dense of a plastic it was.

For now, I just do not want to get my hopes up. I just think it's not worth criticizing such great marketing strategy from a very smart and valuable company. It takes a different kind of understanding to see the whole marketing picture of how Apple is trying to position itself in the competition.

I personally cannot wait to see it and hold it with my hands. It is the only way I can confirm what these tech bloggers have been saying about the device. I am most likely getting the blue one for Christmas.

How about you? What do you think of the new iPhone 5c?

As an Online Marketing Specialist, one of the most important things I need to be constantly doing is studying what is going on around the industry of Digital Marketing and SEO.

I go through a ton of news sites and marketing blogs on a daily basis just to do this. Juggling through different sites in one browser could be overwhelming though. So, I decided to use Flipboard.

I understand that there are a lot of other feed readers that I can use for this matter. But, with Flipboard on my iPad mini, I can view my reading list in a beautifully designed magazine-like interface. I believe it could not get any better than that.

When Flipboard started introducing the feature to create your own magazine, I created my own "Marketing & SEO Articles" magazine. It started out as just my personal collection of articles that are useful for studying topics around online/inbound marketing.

But, to my surprise the readership grew. Flipboard users started subscribing to my magazine. It was then that I realized that there were only a few magazines about SEO on the app. It just so happened that I was one of those who created one.

In this magazine, I basically just "flip" useful articles from all the trusted blogs I read on a regular basis. I will be constantly updating this magazine as I continue to study different topics around it.

You can check out my magazine here: Marketing & SEO Articles.

Flipboard can now be opened via the web so you can still view this if you are on your desktop web browser.

If you also want to study Marketing and SEO (or if you are just interested in these topics) , you might want to subscribe.

I hope you will find this magazine useful.

If you love Flipboard or you have a magazine to recommend, let me know in the comments.

Happy flipping!

Jose Mari Chan concert at Cagayan de Oro City

We recently watched Jose Mari Chan's concert at the Limketkai Atrium here in Cagayan de Oro City. He is one of the finest and timeless singers in the Philippines.

But, wait. Why did I mention about marketing lessons? He is a singer right? Well, yes. However, aside from swooning us with his love songs, he also shared a lot of his personal experiences. There is so much wisdom from the man. You can't help but learn a lot of things from him as a professional singer, a businessman and a loving husband.

For this post, I would focus on the learnings relevant to my career. These are a few of the marketing lessons I learned from him:

"I encourage you (singers) to write your own material."

This speaks about originality. He was repeatedly encouraging all the young singers to write their own material. You could take influences from your favorite singers. But, make sure you are not trying to copy them. Be original. It may be hard but you will reap the benefits later on.

"I wrote 200 songs before my first hit."

Perseverance. It is a character common to all the successful people out there. Imagine if Jose Mari Chan stopped writing songs after his 199th composition? He probably would not be where he is right now.

He kept writing and writing his original material until eventually one of them became a hit. We all start rough. He even mentioned how he never wanted anyone to listen to his first composition. It was that bad. What differentiates him from all the other people is that he never gave up. He continued to do what he loved doing until he became better and successful with it.

"You know you've composed a good song because it will outlive you."

When you have a really good material and you are confident with it, get it out there. Promote it by all means. If it is good, people will love it and it will become a hit. If it is really good, it will be timeless. It will be a classic. It will even outlive you.

Classic singers like Jose Mari Chan have built their career with a good solid foundation. They write good music that is not based on the current "pop culture." That is why 30-40 years after, their songs still sound fresh and will continue to be revived by the generations to come.

If you have a product or service or even if you are just marketing yourself, focus on creating a good brand and do not just go with current trend. Instant results will give you short-lived success while building a good solid foundation will make you last a lifetime.

Bonus:

Here is one of Jose Mari Chan's beautiful songs. He wrote the song on a plane to New York and sang it to his wife on their 8th anniversary. If you know the song, feel free to sing along. Don't forget to share it too :)

I'm Carlo Borja

Education

Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan

Experience

Head of Online Marketing

Marketing Staff

Youth Pastor

SEO and Online Marketing Consultant

Community Manager

My Skills

SEO

Content Marketing

Leadership

Organization and Management

THE WORK I DO

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Outreach and Link Building

Content Marketing

General Virtual Assistance

Pastoral Work

Leadership and Management

Is Time Management Taking Too Much Time To Manage?

7 Tools for Managing Remote Teams

The Art of Managing Remote Teams and Working Remotely as an Individual

JOURNAL

Kids are converting to smartphones

Apple is after all a company that is making money

Apple cares about the user experience

"It is beautifully, unapologetically plastic"

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