HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRIPEVINE: OUR NEW ABNORMAL
Now that there’s an easing of our COVID restrictions, our quarantine-fatigued populace has been taking to the streets and malls with a vengeance, and I wouldn’t be surprised to find our consumer-driven economy getting the shot in the arm it needs from all the holiday shopping. And believe me, I’d be the first one to cheer this spending; as so many businesses, whether in retail or in food, have been brought to the brink (or actually had to shut down), because of this pandemic.
I’m not going to blind myself to the lure of foreign and imported brands and goods as we search for gift-giving ideas and merchandise this holiday season; but I’ll also salute the ‘call to action’ campaign that the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) launched late last month. The #flexPHridays social media initiative encourages Filipinos to support local businesses; and it was DTI seeing this great opportunity to tap our Philippine online community - which for the last six years, has been consistently at the top of the global charts in terms of the number of social media users and internet usage.
Our nation’s 76 million unique social media users accounts is approximately 71 percent of our total population. As you obviously can’t beat them relying purely on traditional media channels and marketing ploys, DTI saw fit to ‘join them’ and go to social media as a most effective medium to impart this message of ‘Go Lokal’, via sharing a Gawang Pinoy story.
As Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez declared, “Stimulating economic recovery is a monumental task, and we want to invite and involve the entire online Filipino community in this endeavor. The spirit of Bayanihan is alive and strong, and this digital #flexPHridays campaign will help champion the beauty and quality of Filipino products in the digital space.”
DTI’s #flexPHridays poster, and Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez.
“This campaign aims to drive awareness that in buying local products and supporting our micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME’s), we are providing jobs to countless Filipinos, and developing the entrepreneurial drive of our countrymen.”
The mechanics to participate are really simple, and yet, will do so much in spreading and ‘flex-ing’ the word about the quality of our Filipino-made products and wares. One just has to snap a photo or take a video of a Filipino product that you’re wearing, that’s in your closet, in your home, on your office desk or dining table, and use the hashtag #flexPHridays. You’re then encouraged to share the story of how you discovered the product or brand, where you purchased it, and why you enjoy it. One posts these locally-produced items on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and/or TikTok; and hopefully, this can be done on a Friday, and it turns into a movement.
Further to this, if it becomes a Friday habit, this can lead to the discoverability of brands and products online - as global studies have shown that the majority of retail and commercial buyers search for brands online before proceeding with their purchases. This DTI campaign, when further strengthened and supported by personalities and the retail companies, will increase brand visibility significantly.
Personally spearheaded by Sec. Ramon Lopez, the campaign’s concept was designed by the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), with the utmost cooperation and unified efforts from all the agencies and sub-units of DTI. The long range goal, when we join this most deserving of bandwagons, and if even Filipinos abroad get into the picture; is that we become a sourcing destination for a multitude of export products. And that would certainly be a wonderful outcome of this social media initiative, as it would mean additional job opportunities and a resurgence of our export potential.
It’s the day after Christmas today, Boxing Day if you’re an Anglophile or still have connections to the United Kingdom. Hopefully, you’ve unwrapped all your gifts, and have found some gifts that deserve to be posted about this Friday, within the context of #flexPHridays. And if you didn’t find any, head out and purchase one!
Let’s all get into the act, and support this campaign. It isn’t enough to just play lip service, and say you love the idea, or that you support what it hopes to engender. Every effort, every social media post, counts; and so, let’s show our pride for things Filipino-made and inspired.