HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRIPE-VINE
Savvy observers of the media industry will say that it takes more than producing content to enjoy success and brand loyalty nowadays. With so many mediums competing for the eyeballs of the public you’re courting; platforms have to go that extra mile, and generate multiple touch points with their audience. Brand loyalty is no longer a given; but something you have to earn daily. And there is no one route, one path - but several that you have to traverse simultaneously.
It’s not just about publishing news, you have to go out and meet your audience, develop and ‘cultivate’ them. The ones who stay pigheaded, refuse to accept these changes on the landscape, will get left behind. Two evenings last week demonstrate how partnerships can be created to stay relevant, and/or develop a new set of followers to your media brand.
The DOT Property Group held their annual DOT Property Awards Night, and Manila Bulletin was happy to once again be one of their two media partners. Fashioned as the more fun, less formal Property Awards, it’s a yearly evening of fun and accolades - where real estate companies, real estate brokers and designers, get together to share experiences and successes. Led by DOT Property Group Country Manager Tanya Peralta-Yu, the Philippines awards night sees the grand winners heading on to Bangkok in December for the Regional Awards Night, where they vie against the very best in Asia.
This year, due to the absence of our MB Property editor, I was designated to give a short speech and hand out a number of awards. During the speech, I highlighted how it was so encouraging to note that several of the awards this year were specifically assigned to address Sustainability in the real estate industry. There was a Sustainable Design award, one for Green Development, one for Community Development, and one for Best LEED Design.
And I threw it back to those assembled at the Okada Ballroom that night, how it was testament to the rapid manner in which responsible real estate development had grown here in the Philippines. A few days from now, on Tuesday, Sept. 24, we at the Manila Bulletin will be hosting the MB Sustainability Focus Session at the UST; and it’s nice to mention that a number of real estate players speaking at the Focus Session are among those honored during the DOT Property night. DOT Property Developer of the Year 2024 RLC Residences is at our Focus Session; as are SMDC, and Ayala Land (Alveo).
For us at the Manila Bulletin, as we further develop our Property section, media partnerships such as this one with DOT Property, help us forge stronger linkages with the real estate sector, and signifies our support for the players in the industry, and our readiness to help tell their stories.
The previous evening saw a very different kind of engagement with our ‘public’. More focussed and intentional, the Manila Bulletin partnered with our sister company, Philtrust, and with The Medical City, for a very unique type of collaboration. Held at the expansive Presidential Suite of the Manila Hotel, the event was an evening of Wellness and cutting-edge medical technology, highlighted by a five-course dinner especially prepared by the Hotel.
Present were some 35 special account-holders of Philtrust, and they were treated to talks generated by The Medical City head doctors, who explained the new set of diagnostic baseline tools and services that The Medical City Institute of Wellness have developed. It was an eye-opener and reminder of how being and staying ‘in the pink of health’, is more a matter of preparation, prevention and knowledge, than it is treating an ailment or sickness when it’s already struck.
I’m not going to replicate the technical and medical jargon that Doctors Destura and Dipasupil employed to explain the services. My takeaways were that one service could use blood samples to check on one’s pre-disposition to particular types of cancer. Knowledge here is power, as one could customize a diet or exercise regimen to help offset said disposition. The other test had to do with pharmacology and how there were certain medications that could be extra effective, and the opposite of being harmful, to an individual - the ‘hiyang’ factor. Here again, it was best to know where you stood, and be armed with said knowledge.
Thanks to the DOT Property Group, and to The Medical City! Your trust in us is much appreciated, and we only hope to continue such alliances, and find mutually beneficial ways to extend and further strengthen the relationships.