In the heart of Makati City (my favorite city in the Philippines), there exists a Marketing Communication Agency by the name of Stratworks. It's not really hard to find . It's just across Paseo de Roxas from Green Belt 1 and just beside the prestigious Asian Institute of Management. You can find their office on the second floor of Zaragoza building. It's a nice cozy place come to think of it. It has good air-conditioning, colorful and well designed furnishings, and a welcoming ambiance.
(Here I am inside Stratworks' office. Sorry for the poor quality. :P)
But enough about that. I did not go to the Stratworks office just to admire how nice and how close it is to Green Belt. I came for one reason only, to interview a professional who is seasoned in the field of dealing with the public and with media and he goes by the name of Mr. Mark Christian Parlade, the Public Relations Director of the agency who graduated AB Philosophy from San Beda. Who would have known, right? I always thought one would need a business degree to be successful in Marketing Communications. He mentioned that his course in college broadened his horizons and helped him out in life. But, I guess intelligence, skill, and good interpersonal relations have also a lot to do with his success. I could safely say that I was really lucky to have met such a welcoming and friendly guy because I thought professionals of his stature are strict and businesslike. But, I thought wrong and I thank Char Vilchez, the friend of my ate, for introducing me to someone with such an inspiring, dynamic personality.
As I interviewed him in their conference/brainstorming room, I got to know more about Mark. He initially landed a job as a television writer and reporter for "Business and Leisure" a daily talk show. He said that working for TV is hard because one would have to be good in multitasking. Nonetheless, he said that it was a good training ground for people who want to be in the field of Marketing and so here he is. He ended up choosing this profession ever since the agency was just a year old.
(Here is Mr. Mark Christian Parlade in the conference/brainstorming room. He told me that his dream ever since he was a kid was to be a comic book writer for DC)
If one would want to land a job similar to his, it would really take a lot from that person. He/she should be able to oversee the campaigns for clients, to develop a good image for them, and should have a sense of story because this story is something that the consumers will relate to. This story tells people about the rich history of companies (Stratworks' clients) and their commitment to quality for their target consumers.
As the PR Director, his daily routine is to see and to enable people to do their roles the right way for the accomplishment of set goals. His PR team serves as a conduit between clients and consumers, and clients and stakeholders. He makes sure that there is a proper connection and that the relationships "click". The question that has to be answered is "What is the best touch point to reach consumers?". He would say that their agency would also serve as a consultant as well as a partner to their clients. It is interesting to note that maintaining a good relationship with their clients is a key to their success. He mentions that Stratworks is the biggest and most successful 'Below the Line' marketing communications agency. I see that as no surprise because they have Jollibee, HP, JG Summit, as well as other big companies as their clients. Their agency creatively comes up and organizes events for their clients. They work "behind the scenes" and they like to keep it that way. They were the ones who organized the Dancing Cebu Pacific flight attendants. He said that people before take-offs don't listen to the flight attendants because they look and sound boring. That is why they came up the idea of having flight attendants doing a dance while demonstrating how to fasten seat belts and to use the cabin pressurized masks.
(Click here to see the video! Stratworks organized the whole thing! It's so cool!)
(Stratworks was also the agency that organized the event for the product launch of URC's energy drink, Xplode. I was really fortunate to be there and meet Batista. Thank you Char! :D )
As I got to know more about Mr. Mark, I was convinced that he really enjoys doing his job. He did say that it was fun because there is a whole lot of things to do. He has no routine and that makes his work very appealing and challenging at the same time. He says that there is always something new to be done everyday and that these new tasks bring out the creative side of him. His example is that Jollibee's products are food and HP's products are computer stuff so the approaches and the way they communicate and give value to customers and consumers are totally different, that is why marketing research is also an important aspect to their business. It really stretches your capacity to go beyond yourself. Experiences in everyday life and new learnings can significantly contribute and enhance the way you think. He tells me that he is sick and tired of hearing the term "outside the box" because for him, there is no box. It just does not exist. You get the ideas inside your head and you bring them together in a seemingly harmonious combination. This is creativity for him. He has definitely opened my mind to the limitless possibilities for marketing creativity. Have I mentioned that this is more likely the field that I will be pursuing after I graduate? (which is just 4 weeks away!).
In terms of the benefits that Mr. Mark gets from his line of work, he says that having fun is one of them. Also, one of the best parts is meeting new people in events. He gets to meet big time businessmen and celebrities in media. Speaking of which, Mr. Mark told me that he can't thank his friends in media enough. Whenever they publish good stories about Stratworks' clients, they put the agency in a good spot. He is really thankful and appreciative of what these people do day in and day out. He would send them text messages saying "Thanks for the great story for my clients!". I have also learned from him that to be successful, you should be nice to people. He says "Take care of your people, and the business will take care of itself". Having good relations with people does not only positively affect your business but also life itself.
To be honest, I did not really know what a PR person does and what his/her worth is to an organization until this point, but thanks to this interview I have learned the role of this astounding PR Director. I come to remember what I learned in my Comm class which is the concept of socialization: "The process by which we learn the basic ground rules of a role" (Croteau & Hoynes. p110). I have learned that every professional fulfills his/her role must fit and be according to the organization's expectations. PR people aren't there for nothing. They are there for maintaining good relationships among clients (business owners), media, and consumers. The fact to the matter is, I believe that every professional (whether in media or not) has his/her value based on society's expectations and on his/her contribution to that society. The difference between being in media and marketing and other fields of work is that the formers require lots of creativity to be successful in the industry. For me, Mr. Mark exceeds these expectations not only because he is intelligent and knowledgeable on what he does, but also because he can easily relate to people of different backgrounds, cultures, and circumstances. These qualities make him a perfect fit for the profession that he is in and I admire him for that.
(Me and Mr. Mark :D)
To end with this blog entry, I would like to thank Mr. Mark Parlade for devoting his time for me for academic purposes. It was a really fun and educational interview for me. Glad I did it. We even got to talk about matters outside of marketing communications such as PS3, DC comics, and a whole array of stuff. Since I informed him that I'm interested and would like to be in this field, he even told me to submit a resume. Who knows, I might be working him with him in the not so distant future. Possibilities in professions that demand creativity such as this are endless after graduation. I feel that my future is going to be really exciting!
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