<h2>BRAND FORWARD</h2>

Speech delivered by Lloyd Luna, motivational comedian, at the 2014 Reader’s Digest Trusted Brand Award held at Crowne Plaza Galleria, Ortigas Center, Pasig City on June 4, 2014


TO THE ORGANIZERS, COMPANY PRESIDENTS, REPRESENTATIVES, AWARDEES, WAITERS, SECURITY GUARDS, SENIOR CITIZENS (PAUSE), I MEAN SENIOR EXECUTIVES AND GUESTS WHO ARE NOT INVITED BUT ARE HERE ANYWAY, GOOD EVENING. (LAUGH)

BEFORE THE NIGHT IS OVER, YOU’LL GET YOUR AWARD AND YOU WOULD REALIZE THAT IF YOU’RE A WINNER, LIFE IS GREAT. IF YOU’RE A LOSER, YOU SHOULDN’T BE HERE. (LAUGH)

I WAS ADVISED THAT SOME OF OUR FRIENDS SHOWED UP TONIGHT FOR TWO REASONS: ONE, SOME OF YOU WERE FORCED BY YOUR BOSS TO ATTEND FOR FEAR THAT YOUR COMPETITORS WOULD GET THE AWARD IF YOUR COMPANY IS NOT REPRESENTED.

TWO, SOME OF YOU ARE IN ATTENDANCE BECAUSE YOU’VE HEARD TONIGHT’S DINNER IS FREE. (LAUGH)

IT'S FUNNY THAT A NON-RECIPIENT OF THIS AWARD LIKE MY SELF IS GOING TO SPEAK TO YOU TONIGHT. YOU MAY THINK THAT’S UNFAIR. 

SO TO MAKE IT FAIR, BEFORE I ACCEPTED THIS INVITATION AND TOOK THIS HONOR OF ADDRESSING YOU TONIGHT, READER’S DIGEST PROMISED ME THAT MY COMPANY IS GETTING THE TRIPLE DIAMOND AWARD NEXT YEAR. 

NO? REALLY? I THOUGHT THAT WAS THE DEAL. OH, THERE’S NO DIAMOND AWARD EITHER? (LAUGH)

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, AND EVERYBODY ELSE IN BETWEEN, IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHO I AM, IT’S OK. (LAUGH)

THERE’S APPARENTLY NO REASON WHY YOU SHOULD. CONTRARY TO MY SELF-PROCLAIM POPULARITY, I AM NOT REALLY POPULAR.

MY NAME IS LLOYD LUNA AND I AM A MOTIVATIONAL STAND UP COMEDIAN, WHICH MEANS TONIGHT, THERE’S NOTHING REALLY SERIOUS YOU CAN EXPECT FROM THIS SPEECH.

BUT YOU WILL HAVE TO LISTEN NONETHELESS, OTHERWISE, YOU WON’T GET YOUR AWARD. (LAUGH)

MANY OF MY THOUGHTS TONIGHT MAY BE FOOLISH BUT SOME MAY HOPEFULLY MAKE SENSE.

I AM THE CEO OF AN EIGHT-YEAR OLD COMPANY NAMED LLOYDLUNA. OUR COMPANY PROVIDES MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKERS OF ALL TYPES FOR ANY OCCASION. WE HAVE FRANCHISE NOW IN DAVAO, CABANATUAN, ILIGAN AND SAN FERNANDO CITY.

I AM ALSO THE UNPOPULAR BEST-SELLING AUTHOR OF 9 BOOKS—UNPOPULAR BECAUSE NOBODY BUYS MY BOOK AND BESTSELLER BECAUSE IF NOBODY BUYS, I BUY THEM. (LAUGH) AND I HAVE BOUGHT MANY OF THEM.

I AM A NEVER-HEARD-OF TELEVISION BUSINESS TALK SHOW HOST ON GLOBAL NEWS NETWORK, WHICH I AM NOT SURE IF YOU HAVE HEARD ABOUT THAT CABLE CHANNEL UNLESS YOU DON’T HAVE A CABLE TV.

WOW! WHAT AN HONOR TO BE HERE!

TWO WEEKS AGO, I GOT AN EMAIL FROM READER'S DIGEST INVITING ME TO GIVE A TALK. AT FIRST, I THOUGHT THEY ARE JUST GIVING ME A LIFETIME COMPLEMENTARY SUPPLY OF MAGAZINES. 

BUT NO, THEY DIDN’T. INSTEAD, THEY ADVISED ME TO GO TO TRIPLE W DOT RDASIA DOT COM AND SAID I CAN READ ALL I WANT FROM THEIR WEBSITE ANYTIME.

SO THE REASON I AM HERE IS I ACCEPTED THE INVITATION IN SPITE OF THEIR HONEST ADMITTANCE THAT THEY HAVE NO BUDGET FOR THE SPEAKER.

WHEN I HEARD ABOUT IT, I SAID, REALLY? NO BUDGET? THIS IS HOW BAD OUR ECONOMY HAS BECOME?

READER’S DIGEST, ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL BRANDS IN THE WORLD, WOULD ONLY HAVE A TOKEN TO GIVE?

BUT THERE’S A REASON FOR THAT AS WELL. THEY SAID THEIR BUDGET GOES TO FOOD BECAUSE GUESTS NORMALLY FORGET THE SPEAKER AND WHAT HE TALKS ABOUT BUT PEOPLE REMEMBER THE FOOD. (LAUGH)

THAT WAS FASCINATING!

ANYWAY, ASIDE FROM KIDDING. I MEAN KIDDING ASIDE. WHICHEVER. THANKS FOR INVITING ME. 

I AM SO EXCITED AND THRILLED TO SPEAK TONIGHT SO I PREPARED AS BEST AS I COULD.  AND JUST LIKE MANY OF YOU WHO WOULD HAVE DONE THE SAME THING, LAST NIGHT, I PREPARED. (LAUGH)

BEFORE I CONGRATULATE EVERYBODY, HERE ARE SOME OF THE THOUGHTS THAT I WANT TO SHARE TONIGHT, WHICH PROBABLY YOU WON’T LISTEN TO, MUCH LESS REMEMBER, BUT I WILL SHARE ANYWAY.

YOU WON. BUT LET ME ASK, DID YOU WIN BECAUSE PEOPLE LIKE OTHER BRANDS LESS OR BECAUSE PEOPLE REALLY, TRULY, GENUINELY TRUST YOU?

BECAUSE IF YOU WON ON THE BASIS OF PEOPLE LIKING YOUR COMPETITORS LESS, THEN HOW LONG BEFORE YOUR COMPETITORS CAN FIGURE OUT THAT THEY SIMPLY HAVE TO BE A LITTLE MORE LIKEABLE THAN YOU ARE SO PEOPLE WILL VOTE FOR THEM NEXT YEAR?

THE THING IS EVERYBODY KNOWS THE REAL THING. AND THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY INSINCERITY, LIES AND BETRAYAL IS ALMOST IRREPARABLE AND THE PROCESS IRREVERSIBLE.

AS WE ALL KNOW, TODAY, CONSUMERS HAVE SO MUCH MORE WAYS TO TELL AND DISCERN HOW TRUE OR UNTRUE WE ARE BY SIMPLY CONNECTING TO THE INTERNET. 

AND ONCE THEY FIND OUT ABOUT OUR LIES, THEY USE THE SAME TECHNOLOGY TO TELL THE WORLD HOW WE BADLY HURT THEM, BETRAYED THEM BY OUR INSINCERITY OR LIES.

CAN WE BLAME OUR CONSUMERS FOR THEIR BEHAVIOUR? 

APPARENTLY NOT. FOR A VERY SIMPLE REASON.

IT’S BECAUSE THEY BELIEVE IN TELEVISION COMMERCIALS, PRINT ADS AND OTHER MARKETING CHANNELS—THINGS THAT WE MAKE THEM BELIEVE. 

IT’S BECAUSE WE PROMISE THEM WITH SOMETHING. 

BESIDES, IF THERE’S ONE THING THAT PEOPLE BUY FROM US, IT’S NOT REALLY THE PRODUCT DESIGN, FEATURES AND BENEFITS OR THE DISCOUNT.

HOPE IS WHAT PEOPLE BUY FROM US.

THEY BUY HOPE FOR A LONGER, MORE MANAGEABLE HAIR, FAIRER SKIN COMPLEXION, SEXIER BODY, APPEALING SMILE, LONG-LASTING FRESH BREATH AND HOPE “PAG GINAMIT KO ITO, HINDI NA AKO MAGKAKAROON NG PUTOK SA KILI-KILI.”

CONSUMERS BUY HOPE FOR A FASTER INTERNET CONNECTION, UNINTERRUPTED NON-SENSE PHONE CONVERSATION, FINANCIAL SECURITY AND HOPE THAT WHATEVER HAPPENS, “WE FIND WAYS SO THAT WE CAN MAKE THE BEST HAPPEN.” (LAUGH) THAT’S WHEN BDO MERGES WITH BPI WHICH WE KNOW WILL NEVER HAPPEN.

PEOPLE BUY HOPE FOR A RELIABLE NEWS REPORTING THAT’S WHY WE TELL THEM “DAHIL HINDI NATUTULOG ANG BALITA, NAKA-ALERTO KAMING MGA PATROL NG PILIPINO, NAGLILINGKOD SA INYO, SAAN MAN, KAILAN MAN, KAPATID.” (LAUGH) THAT’S WHEN ABS-CBN MERGES WITH TV5 TO BUY GMA7 WHICH WE KNOW WILL NEVER HAPPEN.

THE TRUTH IS, INTELLIGENT CONSUMERS (AND THOSE WHO PRETEND TO BE INTELLIGENT) WILL USE EVERYTHING WE SAY AGAINST US IF THEY FIND AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO, TAKE THEIR PET PEEVES TO THE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST MEDIA, MAKE SOME ALLIES WITH THE SAME PICKLE-MINDED CUSTOMERS AND ALTOGETHER CURSE US AND JUDGE US AND MAKE UP STORIES AS IF WE NEVER SERVED THEM ANY GOOD IN THE PAST. 

DISSATISFACTION ALWAYS MAKES IT TO THE HEADLINE AND CONSUMERS MAKE US VICTIMS OF OUR OWN PROMISES.

(INTENDED FOR FUN ONLY) THAT’S WHY BDO SHOULD RECONSIDER THEIR TAGLINE FROM “WE FIND WAYS.” TO “WE FIND SOME WAYS.”

BPI’S “MAKE THE BEST HAPPEN.” TO “TRY TO MAKE THE BEST HAPPEN.” PLDT’S “WE ARE CHANGING LIVES.” TO “WE ARE CHANGING SOME LIVES.”

ST. LUKES’ “WE LOVE LIFE.” TO “WE LOVE LIFE BUT IT MAY BE GOD’S WILL IN CASE YOU DIE.” CITIBANK’S “THE CITI NEVER SLEEPS.” TO “THE CITI NEVER SLEEPS  BUT YOU SHOULD.”

CUSTOMERS WILL DO WHAT THEY ARE PROGRAMMED TO DO BEST: COMPLAIN WHEN THERE’S INCONVENIENCE AND BE QUIET WHEN EVERYTHING WORKS WELL. 

AND THAT’S AS REAL AS IT GETS.

EIGHT YEARS AGO, I STARTED AN UNLIKELY TRIP TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP. MY CASE WAS HOPELESS, A TRYING HARD CORPORATE GUY TRYING TO FIND HIS PLACE IN A COMPETITIVE MAKATI MARKETPLACE, NOT KNOWING WHAT TO DO AND WHERE TO GO NEXT.

BUT FOR SOME REASONS, I QUIT MY JOB AND DO SOME FREELANCE WORK UNTIL I HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO REGISTER MY OWN TINY, LITTLE BUSINESS. 

STARTING A BUSINESS, IF YOU CAN CALL IT THAT, WAS WAY BEYOND MY WILDEST IMAGINATION BECAUSE TO TELL YOU HONESTLY, I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THE MEANING OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP BACK THEN. 

IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO SPELL AND EVEN MORE DIFFICULT TO PRONOUNCE. 

BUT EIGHT YEARS LATER, MY SMALL BUSINESS HAS SLOWLY BUT STEADILY GROWN EVEN WITHOUT HAVING TO SPEND HUGE FUND IN ADVERTISING BUDGET. 

THIS IS NOT TO SAY THOUGH THAT YOU NEED TO TAKE THAT FUND AWAY FOR TWO REASONS. ONE, ADVERTISING MANAGERS WILL KILL ME. 

TWO, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOU AND ME IS THAT YOU CAN AFFORD IT AND I CANNOT.

SINCE WE STARTED IN 2005, WE HAVE SPOKEN TO MORE THAN HALF A MILLION PEOPLE NOT ONLY IN THE PHILIPPINES BUT ALSO IN COUNTRIES LIKE MALAYSIA, SOUTH KOREA, VIETNAM, THAILAND, BRUNEI AND SINGAPORE. 

WE HAVE BEEN FEATURED OR SPOKEN TO OVER 2,000 CONFERENCES, CONVENTIONS AND SEMINARS AND WORKSHOPS.

I AM SAYING IT PLAINLY AND WITHOUT PRIDE BECAUSE OUR MARKET—STUDENTS, TEACHERS, THE ACADEME, THE YOUTH—HAS PROBABLY TRUSTED US IN SEVERAL MORE WAYS THAN WE KNOW, IN SEVERAL MORE WAYS THAN WE EXPECT.

WHEN SOME PROFIT-CENTERED TRAINING COMPANIES AND SPEAKERS HAVE FORGOTTEN TO SHOW SOME CARE AND AFFECTION TO SCHOOLS BY DECLINING THEIR INVITATION FOR LACK OF BUDGET, WE CARED FOR THEM AND WE COVERED THEM.

WITH OR WITHOUT ENOUGH BUDGET FOR SPEAKERS, WE SUPPLIED THEM WITH SPEAKERS TO INSPIRE THEM SO THEY CAN BETTER PREPARE FOR THEIR LIVES AFTER SCHOOL. 

BUT ARE WE THE MOST TRUSTED BRAND IN OUR CATEGORY?

READER’S DIGEST SAYS NO. DEFINITELY NOT. NO. I DON’T THINK SO. NOT YET. AND IT IS NOT FOR US TO CLAIM. IT’S FOR THE PEOPLE TO GIVE.

BEFORE YOU ARE GATHERED HERE TO ACCEPT THE AWARD (GOLD, PLATINUM, ALUMINIUM, GYMNASIUM), YOU HAVE MADE A LOT OF RIGHT AND WRONG DECISIONS. THOSE DECISIONS HAVE BECOME YOUR GATE PASSES FOR TONIGHT’S EVENT.

BUT AWARDS LIKE THESE ARE NOTHING BUT A VALIDATION OF YOUR HARD WORK AND DISCIPLINE—THAT DESPITE THE MANY CHALLENGES YOU’VE FACED IN A WORLD WHERE SPEED MEANS POWER, STRATEGY MEANS WINNING, TECHNOLOGY MEANS SURVIVAL, PEOPLE HAVE TRUSTED YOUR BRAND AND THEY MAY TRUST YOU OVER AND OVER AGAIN IF YOU DO TWO THINGS:

ONE, ALWAYS CHALLENGE YOUR ASSUMPTION.

IN MY UNDERSTANDING, BRANDS FAIL NOT BECAUSE OF LACK OF MARKETING AND ADVERTISING BUDGET. 

NOT EVEN BECAUSE OF STRONGER AND MORE ABLE COMPETITORS. NOT EVEN BECAUSE OF THE BAD ECONOMY. 

BRANDS, WHICH HAVE FAILED TERRIBLY, FAILED BECAUSE OF FALSE ASSUMPTION.

TAKE THE CASE OF POLAROID, THE ALL-TIME LEADER IN INSTANT PHOTOGRAPHY.

IN THE 1960s, POLAROID STARTED ITS RESEARCH ON DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY. BY 1989, MOST OF THEIR R AND D RESOURCES WERE POINTED AT GOING DIGITAL.

SO WHY DID POLAROID DIE? DID IT DIE BECAUSE ITS IDEA OF THE FUTURE CAME TOO EARLY OR DID IT UNKNOWINGLY COMMIT SUICIDE BY MAKING FALSE ASSUMPTION?

IN 1985, THE COMPANY INSISTED THAT, AND I QUOTE, AS ELECTRONIC IMAGING BECOMES MORE PREVALENT, IT REMAINS A BASIC HUMAN NEED FOR PERMANENT VISUAL RECORD.

A RESEARCH FROM YALE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT SUGGESTS THAT FALSE ASSUMPTION ABOUT THE CHANGING LANDSCAPE OF PHOTOGRAPHY INDUSTRY BROUGHT POLAROID TO ITS FUNERAL.
TODAY, IT’S TEMPTING TO ASSUME HOW THE FUTURE IS GOING TO BE LIKE AND MAKE EVERYBODY BELIEVE THAT WE CAN NEVER BE WRONG. THAT WE HOLD THE FUTURE IN OUR HANDS.

BUT THE PRESENT, NOT THE FUTURE, CAN BEST JUDGE IF PEOPLE WILL TRUST YOUR BRAND OR NOT, IF YOUR BRAND IS TO STAY ALIVE OR DIE, AND IF YOUR BRAND WILL BE VOTED AGAIN NEXT YEAR OR NOT ANYMORE.

A TRUSTWORTHY BRAND ALWAYS CHALLENGES ITS ASSUMPTION.

TWO, ALWAYS BE RELEVANT BY LOOKING BEYOND WHAT YOU CAN DO.

LIFE MOVES ON. MANY BRANDS NECESSARILY DON’T. THE PROOF? MANY OF THOSE BRANDS WHICH SUCCEEDED IN THE PAST NO LONGER EXIST TODAY.

TAKE THE CASE OF KODAK. ABOUT 40 YEARS AGO, IT COVERED 90% OF THE US FILM MARKET. IT WAS RECOGNIZED AS ONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST VALUABLE BRANDS. 

TODAY, IT’S STILL ONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST VALUABLE BRANDS—BUT A DEAD ONE—SO MOST VALUABLE DEAD BRAND.

DID KODAK DIE BECAUSE THE COMPETITION KILLED IT OR DID IT COMMIT SUICIDE BY FAILING TO LOOK BEYOND?

IN 1975, SEVEN YEARS BEFORE I WAS BORN, AND SOME OF YOU MAY HAVE STARTED WORKING, KODAK INVENTED THE FIRST DIGITAL CAMERA. 

BUT FOR FEAR OF HURTING ITS FILM BUSINESS, IT WITHHELD THE INVENTION.

AS IT HAPPENS, COMPETITORS SONY AND CANON SAW AN OPPORTUNITY AND THEY SHAPED THE MARKET AND BECAME THE BRANDS THAT WE KNOW TODAY.

KODAK DIED NOT BECAUSE MANY PEOPLE DIDN’T TRUST THE BRAND. PROBABLY MILLIONS OF PEOPLE STILL DO UP TO THIS DAY. WHO WILL WE EVER FORGET THAT “KODAKAN MOMENTS”?

BUT KODAK SIMPLY LOST ITS RELEVANCE BY FAILING TO LOOK BEYOND WHAT IT CAN DO. ITS FEAR TO INNOVATE SENT THEM TO THE PEARLY GATES.

MARKETING IS NOT SIMPLY AN ART OF MAKING PRODUCTS SO POPULAR SO YOU CAN MAKE MORE SALES, JUST AS KODAK THOUGHT IT WAS. 

MARKETING IS ABOUT SINCERELY COMMUNICATING THE BRAND’S VALUE AND RELEVANCE TO CONSUMERS. 

AND IF, FOR SOME REASONS, IT FAILS TO DO SO, THEN, NO AMOUNT OF INNOVATION AND STRATEGIC PLANNING AND OCCASIONAL FACEBOOKING CAN SAVE THE BRAND FROM A BRAND FUNERAL WAITING TO HAPPEN.

YOU MAY BE INNOVATIVE—THE MOST ADVANCED AMONG ALL YOUR PEERS IN THE INDUSTRY—BUT THAT DOESN’T AUTOMATICALLY MEAN YOU ARE RELEVANT.

IF YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED THE GOLDEN YEARS OF MA MON LUK, ZENCO FOOTSTEP, CHOCNUT, MIGHTY KID SHOES, AND 680 APPLIANCE CENTER, YOU MAY THINK BACK THEN THAT THEIR SUCCESSES ARE GOING TO LAST FOREVER.

IT DIDN’T.

ONCE THEY WERE SO GOOD AND NOW SOME OF THEM ARE AS GOOD AS GONE. SOME BARELY FIND THEIR WAY TO SURVIVE—ALL BECAUSE THEY FAILED TO LOOK BEYOND.

A TRUSTWORTHY BRAND IS A RELEVANT BRAND. IT CHANGES WITH TIME. IT CHANGES WITH PEOPLE.

I GUESS SURVIVAL IS AN UNLIKELY PREFERENCE IN TODAY’S MARKETPLACE EITHER BECAUSE EVERYBODY ELSE IS GOING INTO THAT DIRECTION. 

A CLEARER AND LONGER-LASTING STRATEGY THEREFORE IS TRUSTWORTHINESS.

IT IS A FOUR-SYLLABLE WORD WITH THREE LETTER T AND THREE LETTER S AND A QUITE DIFFICULT WORD TO PRONOUNCE WHICH I DON’T KNOW WHY I HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT SINCE THOSE DETAILS HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE CONCLUSION OF THIS SPEECH. (LAUGH)

ON NOVEMBER 25, 2008, JIM COLLINS, MY UNCLE, WROTE IN FORTUNE MAGAZINE, AND I QOUTE, WHETHER YOU PREVAIL OR FAIL, ENDURE OR DIE, WHETHER YOU MAKE IT ONTO FORTUNE 500, AND WHETHER YOU STAY THERE, DEPENDS MORE ON WHAT YOU DO TO YOUR SELF THAN ON WHAT THE WORLD DOES TO YOU.

YOU MAY NOT REALIZE THE EXTENT OF YOUR CONTRIBUTION TO THIS WORLD, HOW YOU SHAPE OUR COMMUNITIES IN A THOUSAND SPECIAL WAYS EVERY DAY AND HOW YOU MAKE YOUR CUSTOMERS FEEL SO VALUED AND SO LOVED EVERY TIME THEY EXPERIENCE YOUR BRAND. 

TONIGHT, I WOULD LIKE YOU TO KNOW THAT WITHOUT YOUR BRAND, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A DIFFICULT, BORING LIFE OUT THERE.

SO, TO END MY ENDING, I TRIED TO LOOK UP THE MEANING OF TRUSTWORTHINESS.

SINCE I DIDN’T HAVE A DICTIONARY, I LOOKED AROUND I FOUND THE TRUE MEANING OF TRUSTWORTHINESS IN THE EYES OF THOSE WHO ARE RECEIVING THE AWARD TONIGHT.

ON BEHALF OF THE LLOYDLUNA COMPANY, CONGRATULATIONS. THANK YOU. GOD BLESS YOU. GOD BLESS THE PHILIPPINES.


—— END OF SPEECH ——