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IT is
increasingly evident that in order for businesses to
succeed today, they must be totally in sync with the
underlying lifestyle changes of their target market.
However, anticipating these changes in this fast-paced
game is easier said than done. Countless studies and
surveys have failed to capture the kinds of original
insight that detects far-reaching changes fast enough to
parlay consumption patterns into big bucks ahead of the
herd. A lot of times, it is more about creativity and
guts than endless business planning and
numbers-crunching. Numbers are important, but more as
evidence to validate an idea than it is the starting
point. Quite often, this is the conundrum since big
corporations require justification for any type of big
spending or shift in strategy.
Corporations are slow to accept that often it is the
irrational and qualitative that excite consumers because
the output does not conform to quantifiable measures,
and many opportunities are unnecessarily overlooked for
this reason.
Creative
Programs Inc. headed by Monchet Olives and ABS-CBN
Publishing headed by Ernie Lopez are pioneering new ways
of spotting emerging consumer patterns, testing insights
and rolling them out in fun and exclusive concepts.
Last
weekend, I experienced a seamless display of branding
and theater from the Lifestyle Channel in cooperation
with the magazine Metro Society as they stage-managed,
orchestrated and hosted a lifestyle event called “Summer
Soul” that showcased the essence of the brand through
various consumer touch points.
Summer
Soul was a three-day on-ground event celebrating inner
wealth, health and beauty. All the activities were
geared to motivate the group to use all their senses and
positively validate the hosts’ insights into emerging
lifestyle trends that they track for their networks and
magazines.
The cast
was composed of an accomplished group of inspiring women
from the worlds of media, art, business and culture. The
narrative or script was entitled ”Summer Soul,” and the
backdrop was
Discovery
Shores in Boracay.
Day 1
We
checked into the latest and swankiest addition to the
Boracay landscape: Discovery Shores. Shortly after, a
soothing massage was arranged in the Mandala Spa for us
to recover from the hectic trip. Rejuvenated from the
massage, we enjoyed honey ginger tea and shared life
stories facilitated by a professional life coach. At
dusk, we were all whisked aboard a luxury yacht to enjoy
the famous Boracay sunset. The night ended with an
intimate dinner party on the beach amid the light of the
fire dancers and a canopy of stars.
Day 2
The day
started with a wellness program. Most of us trooped down
to the beachfront to join the early morning yoga and
walked up and down the beach. Hungry that we were from
all the early morning activities, a mouthwatering
cookfest was staged at the Aria beachfront followed by a
delightful feast featuring the best of the island’s
cuisine. It was a lazy afternoon for the group catching
up with sleep and some mid-day shopping. In the evening
at the Juice Bar in Plazoletta, the Lifestyle Network
surprised us with a Bossa Nova concert with Sitti
followed by a “Soul Sassy” island fashion show. The
night ended in Boracay Paradise Hotel for the evening
meal and a quick dip in the pool.
Day 3
The
script ended as we said our goodbyes. The cast and all
the supporting players performed effortlessly. The
script was tight enough to offer every guest direction,
support and guidance but generous enough to allow each
one to shine. Thanks again to our hosts Ernie Lopez,
Monchet Olives, Raul Manzano, Philip Cu-Unjieng, Ipe
Cruz and Chris Lopez for a memorable weekend of curated
consumption and perfectly-edited experiences. |
