TRUSTWORTHINESS (LONG VERSION)

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

ORGANIZERS, AWARDEES, WAITERS, SECURITY GUARDS, SENIOR CITIZENS, I MEAN SENIOR MANAGERS AND GUESTS WHO ARE NOT INVITED BUT ARE HERE ANYWAY, GOOD EVENING.

BEFORE THIS NIGHT IS OVER, YOU’LL HAVE YOUR AWARD AND YOU WOULD REALIZE THAT IF YOU’RE A WINNER, LIFE IS GREAT.

BEFORE I BEGIN, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY IS SEATED IN THEIR DESIGNATED TABLE. MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE SITTING WITH TONIGHT.

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

TWO, SOME OF YOU ARE IN ATTENDANCE BECAUSE TONIGHT’S DINNER IS FREE.

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.

WELL, 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?

ANYWAY, JUST A QUICK TIP TO THOSE WHO DID NOT WIN THIS YEAR, THERE'S A SHORTCUT TO WINNING THIS HIGHLY CONTESTED AWARD OR AT LEAST TO HAVE A GATE PASS TO ENTER THE AWARDS CEREMONY.

BE A MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER.

SPEAKING OF LOSERS, AND I’M TALKING ABOUT THE COMPANIES AND BRANDS YOU HAPPILY BEAT THIS YEAR, JUST FOR FUN, LET US SHARE SOME WORDS OF CONSOLATION TO THEM.

IF YOU KNOW THEIR FACEBOOK OR TWITTER, CONSIDER POSTING THIS ON THEIR WALL:

IF YOU DID NOT MAKE IT TO THIS YEAR’S READER’S DIGEST TRUSTED BRAND AWARD, YOU DIDN'T ACTUALLY LOSE. SOMEONE JUST WON AND IT IS NOT YOU. #TRUSTEDBRANDKAMI

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

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

IT’S JUST THAT MANY PEOPLE KNOW ME. MANY OF THEM COME FROM MY FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND FORMER CLASSMATES IN GRADE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL.

MY NAME IS LLOYD LUNA AND I AM A SPEECHWRITER, WHICH MEANS I WROTE THIS SPEECH AND A MOTIVATIONAL STAND UP COMEDIAN, WHICH MEANS TONIGHT, THERE’S NOTHING REALLY SERIOUS YOU CAN EXPECT FROM THIS SPEECH, SPEECH WHICH MEANS NO OFFENCE TO ANYBODY.

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

MANY OF MY THOUGHTS TONIGHT MAY BE FOOLISH BUT SOME MAY HOPEFULLY MAKE SENSE. BUT I CAN’T PROMISE YOU THAT.

I AM THE CEO OF AN EIGHT-YEAR OLD COMPANY NAMED LLOYDLUNA. OUR COMPANY PROVIDES MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKERS OF ALL TYPES.

WE HAVE FRANCHISE BRANCHES IN DAVAO, CABANATUAN, ILIGAN AND SAN FERNANDO CITY.

I AM ALSO THE UNPOPULAR BEST-SELLING AUTHOR OF 9 BOOKS. I CAN ASSURE YOU THEY ARE BEST-SELLERS BECAUSE IF NOBODY BUYS, I BUY THEM.

AND I HAVE BOUGHT MANY OF THOSE NON-MOVING ITEMS.

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

OH, YOU DON’T HAVE CABLE! WOW!

BUT IF YOU HAVE NOT HEARD ABOUT GNN, THEN YOU'VE JUST HEARD ABOUT IT FROM ME TONIGHT. IT’S ON SKY CHANNEL 213 AND DESTINY CHANNEL 8 AND GSAT CHANNEL 1.

MY THREE-YEAR OLD SHOW AIRS EVERY SUNDAY AT 12NN JUST AS THE SAME TIME SLOT AS ABS-CBN’S ASAP, WHICH MEANS EVERYBODY IS WATCHING ASAP AND NOBODY IS WATCHING MY SHOW.

SO ON ONE OCCASION I DECIDED TO WATCH MY SHOW. I ENJOYED THE EPISODE SO I TEXTED MY FEEDBACK TO THE NUMBER ON SCREEN, WHICH IS MY NUMBER BY THE WAY, AND I SAID, “HEY, THAT’S A VERY GOOD BUSINESS SHOW!”

I ALMOST REPLIED, “THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENT.”

WOW. WHAT AN HONOR TO BE HERE. I AM HUMBLED BY YOUR INVITATION.

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 THIS HOW BAD OUR ECONOMY HAS BECOME JUST ONE YEAR BEFORE THE ASEAN INTEGRATION?

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.

THAT WAS FASCINATING!

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

IT DIDN’T AFFECT MY ENTHUSIASM ABOUT THIS SPEECH. I AM STILL 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, THAT'S RIGHT. LAST NIGHT, I PREPARED.

AS IMPRESSIVE AS I HOPE THIS SHORT TALK WOULD BE, I STARTED DOING A LITTLE RESEARCH ABOUT THE TOPIC: TRUSTWORTHINESS.

I GOOGLED THE MEANING OF TRUSTWORTHY AND EASILY FOUND ITS MEANING.

IT IS ACTUALLY A COMBINATION OF TWO WORDS. TRUST, WHICH MEANS "THE THING YOU USE IF YOU DON’T WANT YOUR WIFE TO GET PREGNANT.”

AND WORTHY, WHICH MEANS “TOO MANY WORDS AS WHAT COMES INTO PLAY WHEN YOUR WIFE TELLS YOU A LONG, BORING STORY AND YOU PRETEND TO LISTEN WHILE DRIVING BUT YOU ARE NOT REALLY INTERESTED TO LISTEN THEN SHE REALIZED THAT YOU ARE NOT PAYING ATTENTION.”

BUT IN FAIRNESS, WOMEN REALLY SPEAK MORE WORDS THAN MEN ON A PER-DAY BASIS, WHICH IS FRANKLY NOT BAD AT ALL.

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND MADE AN INTERESTING DISCOVERY. THE RESEARCH STATED THAT MEN SPEAK AN AVERAGE OF 10,000 WORDS WHILE WOMEN SPEAK AN AVERAGE OF 25,000 WORDS PER DAY.

IF YOU ARE A HE, AND IF A SHE TRIES TO ENGAGE YOU IN A CONFRONTATIONAL CONVERSATION LATE AT NIGHT, HOLD YOUR GROUND AND RELAX.

THE SHE IS CATCHING UP TO REACH HER 25,000-WORD QUOTA.

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 SO PEOPLE WILL VOTE FOR THEM NEXT YEAR?

YOU SEE IN MY PERSONAL VIEW, NOTHING FAKE LASTS LONG. WE CAN CHOOSE TO FOOL OUR SELVES BY CONDITIONING OUR MIND TO BELIEVE IN SOMETHING WHICH IT IS NOT.

BUT SOONER RATHER THAN LATER, EVERYBODY WILL KNOW THE REAL THING.

SABI NGA PO NG ISANG KASABIHAN: WALANG NATATAGO NA WALANG NAGTAGO AT WALANG LIHIM NA WALANG NAGLIHIM.

THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY INSINCERITY 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 STUNTS.

IT’S BECAUSE WE MAKE THEM BELIEVE IN SOMETHING. IT’S BECAUSE WE PROMISE THEM WITH SOMETHING.

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

THEY BUY HOPE FROM US.

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

THEY BUY HOPE FOR GOOD NUTRITION, HEALTHY LIFESTYLE, SECURITY, AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE, ENERGY AND HOPE “NA PAG MERON KA NITO, WALA KANG TALO.”

WE SELL HOPE BECAUSE PEOPLE BUY HOPE.

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 SOLE PROPRIETOR BUSINESS.

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

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

LATER ON, I REALIZE THAT IT HAS THE SAME MEANING AS BUSINESS SO I DROPPED ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND USED BUSINESS INSTEAD.

I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT BUSINESS OR ENTREPRENEURSHIP BECAUSE I TOOK ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATIONS ENGINEERING BACK IN COLLEGE.

I HAD PERFECTLY NO IDEA ABOUT BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT, MARKETING AND ACCOUNTING.

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.

BUT SCHOOLS AND SOME COMPANIES SOMEHOW TRUSTED OUR BRAND BECAUSE WE DIDN’T SELL SEMINARS.

WHILE OTHER OUTFITS SOLD SEMINARS, WE SOLD HOPE.

WE CONSISTENTLY GAVE OUR MESSAGE THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE TOO FRAGILE AND VULNERABLE TO FAILURE CAN HOPE FOR A BETTER LIFE AGAIN ONCE THEY HEAR US SPEAK. IT EVENTUALLY BECAME OUR PROMISE.

THEY CAN PREPARE AND WE CAN HELP THEM PREPARE.

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.

WHY AM I SAYING THIS?

TO MAKE MY SPEECH LONGER. NO.

NOT TO BRAG ABOUT IT BECAUSE TIME AND AGAIN WE BELIEVE THAT BRAGGING DOESN'T MAKE ONE LOOK GOOD.

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.

JUST MAYBE, THEY HAVE SEEN THAT WE ARE WILLING TO STAY WITH THEM FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE.

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

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

THE TRUTH IS, WE ARE IN THE BUSINESS OF INSPIRING PEOPLE, NOT OF MAKING MONEY. ALTHOUGH IN THE PROCESS OF INSPIRING PEOPLE, WE SOMEHOW MAKE SOME MONEY.

BUT ARE WE THE MOST TRUSTED BRAND IN OUR CATEGORY?

DEFINITELY NOT. NO. I DON’T THINK SO. NOT YET. BUT WE WILL MOVE HEAVEN AND EARTH, AND MERCURY AND JUPITER AND SATURN AND VENUS TO GET THERE.

BEFORE YOU ARE GATHERED HERE TO ACCEPT THE AWARD (GOLD, PLATINUM, ALUMINIUM, GYMNASIUM, AQUARIUM), YOU HAVE MADE A LOT OF RIGHT AND WRONG DECISIONS.

I BET ALL OF YOU HAD YOUR OWN SHARE OF UPS AND DOWNS AND OCCASIONAL MISUNDERSTANDING DURING DELIBERATIONS AND CLASH AMONG YOUR PEERS DURING MEETINGS.

SOME OF YOUR PEERS ALREADY GOT FIRED BECAUSE OF YOU. SOME ARE STILL WANDERING AND GOOFING AROUND WITH YOU.

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 INNOVATION, PEOPLE HAVE TRUSTED YOUR BRAND AND THEY MAY TRUST YOU OVER AND OVER AGAIN IF YOU DO TWO THINGS:

ONE, ALWAYS TRUST WHAT YOU STAND FOR.

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 THEY HAVE FORGOTTEN WHAT THEY STOOD FOR. THEY LOST THEIR GRIP ON THEIR PURPOSE.

TAKE THE CASE OF NOKIA, THE MOST TRUSTED BRAND ACROSS EIGHTEEN COUNTRIES ACROSS EUROPE, ACROSS ALL INDUSTRIES ACCORDING TO READER’S DIGEST IN 2003.

IS THIS YOU?

CERTAINLY, IT DIDN’T DIE BECAUSE PEOPLE DIDN’T TRUST THE BRAND. OBVIOUSLY, PEOPLE LOVED THEM. THEY TRUSTED THE BRAND THEN.

SO WHY DID IT DIE? DID IT DIE BECAUSE APPLE AND SAMSUNG KILLED IT OR DID IT UNKNOWINGLY COMMIT SUICIDE BY NEGLECTING WHAT THEIR BRAND STOOD FOR?

IN 2008, NOKIA HAD A GLOBAL MARKET SHARE OF 40%, THE SAME YEAR THAT IPHONE SALES STARTED TO RISE AND SHORTLY BEFORE SAMSUNG MADE PUBLIC ITS FIRST ANDROID-POWERED DEVICE.

BY 2003 REBRANDING, NOKIA STOOD FOR CONNECTED MOBILITY, HUMAN TECHNOLOGY, ENDURING QUALITY, AND JOY AND PRIDE OF OWNERSHIP.

DID IT ADHERE TO THEIR CORE REASON FOR EXISTENCE? HISTORY SAYS NOT LIKELY.

FOR ONE, IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO TAKE JOY AND PRIDE OWNING A WIRELESS GADGET THAT CAN ONLY SEND SMS, MAKE PHONE CALLS AND PROVIDE YOU WITH A GAME OF SNAKE WHILE YOUR PEERS HAVE A WIRELESS PHONE WITH MUSIC AND VIDEO PLAYER AND MORE COLORFUL GAMES LIKE PLANTS AND ZOMBIES AND CANDY CRUSH AND MOBILE WEB BROWSER AND CAMERA ROLLED IN ONE?

NOKIA WAS A GLOBAL PHONE COMPANY IN A WORLD WHERE PEOPLE HAD SIMPLY STOPPED BUYING PHONES.

TRUSTED BRAND BEFORE, DEAD BRAND TODAY.

I KNOW MANY OF YOU HAVE BEEN FIGHTING FOR SOMETHING. IF NOT, THEN YOU WILL REALIZE HOW MUCH OF YOUR RESOURCES YOU SPEND FOR NOTHING BECAUSE WE ALL KNOW HOW YOUR BRAND STORY IS GOING TO END.

HERE’S WHAT I KNOW. PEOPLE WILL KNOW ABOUT YOUR BRAND’S MEANING AND VALUE AFTER YOUR 30-SECONDER SPOT WHEN THEY PURCHASE YOUR PRODUCT IN THE SHELVES.

AND THEIR EXPERIENCE WITH IT WILL BEST JUDGE IF THEY ARE TO TRUST YOUR BRAND OR NOT, AND IF YOUR BRAND IS TO STAY ALIVE OR DIE.

A TRUSTWORTHY BRAND IS TRUE TO WHAT IT STANDS FOR.

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.

DID THESE VISIONARY LEADERS EVER IMAGINE THEIR BRAND’S FUNERAL?

NO. BECAUSE AT THAT MOMENT, THERE WAS NO REASON WHY THEY SHOULD. BUT IT DID HAPPEN.

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 BRAND—SO MOST VALUABLE DEAD BRAND.

DID IT 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. WILL WE EVER FORGET THAT “KODAKAN MOMENTS”?

PUT IT IN TELENOVELA AND IT WILL SOUND LIKE THIS: I STILL TRUST YOU BUT I NO LONGER LOVE YOU BECAUSE SOMEONE ELSE IS PROVIDING ME WITH WHAT I NEED. THERE IS NO US NOW.

KODAK SIMPLY LOST ITS RELEVANCE BECAUSE THEY FAILED TO LOOK BEYOND WHAT THEY ARE AND WHAT THEY CAN DO. THEY IGNORED THE NEED OF THEIR MARKET. THEIR FEAR TO INNOVATE SENT THEM TO THE PEARLY GATE.

WHENEVER I DO LECTURES ON BRANDING AND MARKETING, I ALWAYS REMIND MY AUDIENCE THAT MARKETING IS NOT SIMPLY AN ART OF MAKING PRODUCTS KNOWN SO YOU CAN MAKE MORE SALES, JUST AS KODAK THOUGHT IT WAS.

MARKETING IS ABOUT 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 FUNERAL WAITING TO HAPPEN.

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

THAT’S WHAT I THOUGHT, TOO. BUT IT DIDN’T HAPPEN, DID IT?

ONCE THEY WERE SO GOOD AND NOW SOME OF THEM ARE AS GOOD AS GONE. SOME BARELY FIND THEIR WAY TO SURVIVE.

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 IN 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.

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.

FRIENDS, YOU MAY NOT REALIZE THE EXTENT OF YOUR CONTRIBUTION TO THIS WORLD, HOW YOU SHAPE OUR COMMUNITIES IN A THOUSAND SPECIAL WAYS AND HOW YOU MAKE YOUR CUSTOMERS FEEL VALUED AND 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 CONCLUDE MY CONCLUSION, I LOOKED UP THE MEANING OF TRUSTWORTHINESS AGAIN.

AND THIS TIME, I FOUND THE TRUE MEANING OF IT IN THE EYES OF THOSE WHO ARE RECEIVING THE AWARD TONIGHT.

ALWAYS LEARN. ALWAYS LAUGH. ALWAYS LOVE.

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

—— END OF SPEECH ——