The island-state currently regulates the presence of objectionable content and conduct online through its Internet Service Providers (ISPs) as enabled by the Computer Misuse and Cybersecurity Act and carried out by Singapore’s Media Development Authority. A list of 100 websites are banned including a site that allegedly recruited underage boys for sex and nude photography.

In the Philippines, the Anti-child Pornography Act of 2009, Intellectual Property Code, and the Anti-Camcording Law were previously placed to combat child pornography and other illegal sites. In 2014, the Cyber Crime Law took effect that made any crime under the Revised Penal Code, which is a list of general punishable acts,  be considered a cybercrime if done using a computer or the internet.  Thus, prior laws pertaining to intellectual rights and piracy are given more support for enforcement.

With enabling laws, regulatory agencies such as the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), Intellectual Property Office (IPO), and the Optical Media Board (OMB) among others can learn from the practice of other countries if the Philippines is really serious at combating piracy and child pornography. 

Yoly Crisanto, Globe SVP for Corporate Communications, said:  “This advocacy is important especially as we contribute greatly to the development of a digital nation. We want to provide our customers with safe and quality content and ensure that our products and services are not used for illegal activities.  At the same time, we want to protect intellectual property rights including our own original content and the licensed content of our global and local partners so that we can give the people who create content what’s rightfully due them.”

In 2017, Globe invested 2.7 million dollars to improve its Domain Name System (DNS) with several blocking capabilities that enabled the company to block close to 2,500 domains or sites found to have lewd and child pornography-related content and will continue to actively look out for such illegal sites.

Although the Philippines has Republic Act 9775 or the Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009 to protect every child from all forms of exploitation and abuse, sadly the country continue to top the list of global sources of child pornography based on the United Nations Children’s Fund’s (UNICEF) The State of The World’s Children 2017 report entitled “Children in a Digital World.  The situation, however, is expected to improve with the signing into law of the child online protection provision in RA 10929 or the Free Internet in Public Places Act.

The Unicef report noted that the pervasiveness of the Internet, mobile apps and online payment methods further aided in the proliferation of child pornography and sex trafficking.

It was collaborated by another report from the International Justice Mission, a human rights group handling cases of online exploitation of children in the Philippines which noted that 8 out of 10 victims that they have rescued are 12 years old and below, some even as young babies.

Under Philippine law, “child pornography” refers to ”any representation, whether visual, audio, or written combination thereof, by electronic, mechanical, digital, optical, magnetic or any other means, of child engaged or involved in real or simulated explicit sexual activities”.

The fight against child pornography and illegal sites is part of Globe Telecom’s #PlayItRight advocacy campaign to ensure that its products and services are not used in illegal activities and to protect the copyrighted content of its global partners.

The post Globe Telecom on its Advocacy to Fight Illegal Sites, Child Pornography appeared first on Village Connection PH.

If there is one issue that is not as often tackled as others when it comes to analyzing their vastly different attitudes, it would very well be their perceptions of the real estate market. The intersectionality of history as well as economy has clearly defined how these three generations value real estate.

Millennials Are Starting to Take Over

Millennials are currently the most active generation among the three, comprising over a quarter of the Philippines’ total population. According to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority’s Labor Force Survey in 2015, Millennials make up almost half of the country’s workforce. Out of the 39 million people who have jobs, 45% were Millennials aged 15 to 34. As cited in Lamudi, CBRE Philippines’ chairman Rick Santos noted how the country has the youngest workforces globally, with a median age of 23.2 years old.

This goes to show how high Millennials’ spending power could potentially be. With their “wanting, therefore, needing” attitude and their perceived impatience over things, Millennials could easily decide to invest in a property in just a snap. Add to that their access to the Internet. Around 70% of Internet users are from this generation, and with the digitalization of commerce and proliferation of social media, Millennials are able to look for residential listings and housing loans in just a few mouse clicks.

Millennials grew in a fast-paced world where everything is within their reach. Add to that the fact that they want to do more than the time they have. This affects their preferences in choosing locations to pursue when buying a property. Many residential projects in the urban jungle of Metro Manila are steadfast in creating something that could match Millennials’ search for the elusive work–life balance. This is proven in a study conducted by Lamudi, which revealed that Millennials are searching for properties in the highly urbanized cities like Manila, Quezon City, and Cebu.

The oldest of this generation is now pushing into their mid-30s and is starting to settle and buy their own houses for their families. The real challenge, however, is that if these Millennials have enough financial capacity to snap up deals. While they have the potentially high spending power, Millennials often dispose of their income for something that can instantly provide them with instant gratification. Add to that the affordability of some of the homes where Millennials would likely want to live.

Are Baby Boomers Downsizing?

Some of the Baby Boomers have already entered their golden ages. In the past years, their participation in the housing market has already dwindled and entered a plateau stage as they already got past the stage of property buying spree. However, as they enter the age or retirement, Baby Boomers will soon actively partake in real estate scene once more.

There are two scenarios that can arise in this. For one, Baby Boomers will start to downsize to control expenses. According to a study of buyers and sellers from the Massachusetts Association of Realtors, when people from ages 18 to 54 sell their houses, the next one they buy is larger. It all changes when sellers hit 55 when the next house they buy are particularly smaller. Baby Boomers falling in this example would need to eliminate some major costs as most would be living on pension plans.

Most of these Baby Boomers who would probably go the downsizing route are of the mindset that their children from the Generation X or Millennial generation, would not want to inherit their old, outdated houses. The problem, however, is that these old properties might be stagnant in the market, given Millennials are still catching up in terms of actually spending their money to buy a property. More so, Millennials prefer living in an urban housing such as non-landed dwellings and townhouses over the detached suburban ones Baby Boomers have.

Another route Baby Boomers could take is to renovate their housing to fit their needs. A study from the Harvard University revealed that the demand for housing with universal design elements such as zero-step entrances, single floor houses, and wider halls and doorways would increase as Baby Boomers reach the age 65 and over. The challenge arises from the fact that this generation would likely just renovate their old houses to have the same features, but the lasting effect of the Great Recession in 2007 would have hurt their financial worth and savings. And as stated earlier, the seniors are likely to cut off on other costs to save.

Is the Generation X Still Slacking?

The real estate market has not been kind for Gen-Xers, as the credit crisis hit them the most when they were entering their 30s. Gen X-ers suffered greatly from the market collapse and were forced to rent their dwellings to make ends meet.

Not all, however, ended with the same fate; other Gen-Xers have sailed the rough seas and managed to snap up their own property. Unlike the previous generation, Gen-Xers do not sell their houses for larger properties. Instead, they would rather buy a property with the outlook of staying there for most of their adult life.

It is, however, inaccurate to call the generation slacking in terms of the real estate market. In the United States, for instance, Gen-Xers are in their prime earning years and are now making a comeback as homebuyers, growing to 28% this year. Their attitudes are also fast-changing; they are now considering trading their cramped houses and upgrade to more luxurious houses. That or renovating their homes to be bigger.

Where They All Meet

The three generations can learn a lot from each other when it comes to dealing with the exciting housing market scene. Gen-Xers and Baby Boomers can certainly seek insights in using and embracing technology from Millennials, as smartphones and laptops can really give them the tool to further enhance their understanding of the real estate market. On the other hand, Gen-Xers and Baby Boomers can advise these Millennials on how to manage up their finances, given their experiences during the financial crisis.

In the end, the real estate market should not be seen as competition but a confluence among the three generations eager to invest and get a hold on to their dream houses.

The post The Real Estate Market in the Eyes of Filipino Millennials, Gen-Xers, and Baby Boomers appeared first on Village Connection PH.

The post Why Millennials (Mis)Behave Like They Do appeared first on Village Connection PH.

In the report “Top 10 Global Consumer Trends of 2017,” Euromonitor International encourages brands to focus on these things when dealing with today’s consumers: the changing narrative around aging; how children are given more of a say on the family’s purchases; the emergence of “extraordinary” consumers; faster shopping; the allure of authenticity; how the concept of identity is in flux; personalization; the post-purchase experience; privacy and security; and wellness as a status symbol.

While millennials have become a hot topic, the report suggests that brands also train their focus on those whose ages are over 50, as almost a quarter of people all over the world will be in this age group by this year.

“Anxious as well as inspired by aging, they are keen consumers of a long list of health and beauty products and fashion-forward options and are receptive to tech developments,” the report reads.

There’s even a label for this market: midorexia, or the “middle-aged and older consumers who act younger than their years,” and it’s a term that  “highlights the shifting status and expectations of a demographic whose members are living and working for longer and prioritizing wellness while challenging the typical age-appropriate behavior of older people.”

The narrative around aging is changing also because many older influencers are making waves in various industries, and are most likely effecting change more than the younger Instagram-famous celebrities.

The report cites actress Renee Zellweger as one example, as she has been outspoken about the issue of body-shaming older people.

Another example is Gucci’s choice of 79-year-old Vanessa Redgrave as the face of one their campaigns, despite being in an industry which most of the time celebrates youth.

On the other end of the spectrum, young children are also seen to have more influence on their family’s consumption, the report states, primarily because they are now more exposed to more “adult” issues such as poverty, the environment, sexuality and identity.

“This child input in buying decisions is illustrated by the results of Euromonitor International’s August 2015 Analyst Pulse survey, offering feedback on consumption from its network of global researchers,” the report reads.

“In terms of child-specific treats such as toys and games, for instance, 67 percent of analysts in the US, Canada and Caribbean asserted that children aged 3-11 had considerable input or complete control of the purchasing decision in their countries. In the Asia-Pacific region, this reached 69 percent; in Europe it was 77 percent; while in Latin America, this figure rose to 82 percent,” it adds.

Parents’ struggle to maintain work-life balance is another factor which allows children more leeway to make their own consumption decisions, the report states.

Usually pressed for time, parents usually just let their kids make their own choices, mostly when it comes to food and grocery items. The kids essentially are described as “consumers in training.”

Another set of consumer brands need to consider are the “extraordinary” ones, or those who do not fall under typical categories that comply with a certain size, weight, height, physical ability, dominant hand, and food tolerance, to name a few.

In fashion, for one, it’s all about providing consumers with “real people” sizes, and making themselves feel positive about their bodies, whatever their shape and size (the term “plus-size” has received some criticism, states the report,  as it somewhat gives the indication that one is big but should not be).

There’s also the concept of “healthwear,” or “an apparel niche that adapts the techniques and trends of fashion and applies them to the challenges created by illness and disability.”

An example of this is a shirt designed by Maura Horton of MagnaReady, which has magnetic closures to make it easier to wear for those with Parkinson’s disease, a disease her husband is battling.

Across all markets, the report states that the following issues are becoming increasingly important to consumers: brand authenticity, customization, shopping speed, privacy and security, and post-purchase care.

Basically, consumers are in pursuit of more “genuine” brands which they also feel cater to them on a more personal level—and they want faster access to such brands. In fact, “impatient” is how the report describes today’s consumers.

As for authenticity, consumers are becoming more attracted to brands which they feel they can relate to.

“With millions more user-generated images shared among consumers due to mobile internet and phone cameras, a number of brands are identifying consumers’ own photographs and incorporating them into their marketing material to make it seem more authentic and relatable,” the report states. “‘Less-than-slick’ is not only acceptable, but sometimes desirable, as immediacy and the moment are what counts.”

The report also forecasts that both consumers and brands will put more premium on the post-purchase experience, whether it’s through support, reviews, or feedback.

Safety, of course, is and will always be one major source of concern for consumers, especially in a more digitally connected world where information can be accessed with one click.

“In our volatile world, consumers are anxious to stay safe and well. The focus is on personal safety and that of loved ones,” the report states. “Consumers also experience hope, mixed with a tinge of distrust, in the promise of artificial intelligence and tech to keep us from harm in an uncertain world.”

It adds: “Personal safety extends to the need for protection from the elements and environmental threats,” hence the growing popularity of “all-natural” food products, for instance.

Lastly, there are two more trends which Euromonitor highlights.

One is the fluidity of identity.

“Brands are being forced to rethink just who their audiences really are, within countries and in different countries, and how they interact with each other. This shifting nature of identity is perhaps epitomized  in the greater focus on online ID and data breaches, which threaten our digital reputation. At the same time, many consumers aspire to be global. In the so-called global village, universal brands are still perceived as an opportunity to be a world citizen by their consumers,” states the report.

The other is how healthy living—eating well, exercising—has become more of a status symbol, rather than just a mere lifestyle choice.

“At a time when consuming ‘stuff,’ once an indicator of wealth, is now taking a back seat, the lack of things, of excess fat, of wayward thoughts even, now defines aspiration and is at the heart of consumer interest in wellness,” the report reads.

As to which trend will truly reign supreme this year? Nothing to do but wait and see.

[SOURCE: PDI]

The post Euromonitor: Top 10 global consumer trends of 2017 revealed appeared first on Village Connection PH.

It’s been more that 3 years since I first included the need for digital content marketing education during my talks around the Philippines.

Today, it’s gaining momentum and will soon hit the digital mainstream.

In early 2011, when I first came up with Negosentro.com as a blogazine (magazine-styled blog) for Filipino entrepreneurs making the shift to digital, I didn’t know then that there would be a need to expand my budding business. Admittedly, when that venture made its ROI in only 45 days from launch, I was thinking of how to make it grow through a major disruption. I looked to Yahoo for inspiration, knowing it had a confused identity of either being a search engine or a content portal.

By 2014, after selling off my shares in a US-based tech business, I started growing Negosentro.com by splitting its popular categories into separate blogazines. I got my first major investor then moved the blogazine group into my digital media holdings company Red Bus Digital Ventures — a partnership with my longtime buddy Zes Martinez. By early 2015, we went into a strategic joint venture with well-established Philippine advertising group and setup a separate entity (now Heartshaper Asia Inc.) to manage the core of blogazines and push digital content marketing services to the group’s old clients and beyond its roster.

Fast-forward to 2016, a lot of developments and trends in digital have leap-frogged Heartshaper Asia into a fully-equipped digital content marketing solutions provider, earning the company’s alias, HAI Media. The company has spearheaded the move to introduce SMEs to content marketing as a way to leverage digital media versus MNCs who have bigger budgets.

What’s to expect in digital content marketing in 2017 for Philippine entrepreneurs? The answer is in leveraging these 5 things that have worked so far for our clients. Read on…

#5 Long-form content stays

As we thought that the onset of shorter articles and that popularity of listicles will push long-form articles outside of the top 5, we were wrong. In fact, our blogger events have been a hit among our clients such that we have been ramping up on our digital influencer network to beef up our digital war chest for 2017. We have also seen the rise in popularity of long-form social media content brought about by the Facebook blog page He Said, She Said, which snapped up 20,000+ fans in less than 2 months. “He Said, She Said,” appeals to both Generations Y (millennials) and Z, with two opinions (male and female) on mostly relationship-based topics. Suprisingly, the FB Page’s (and site’s) main bloggers is a forty-ish couple, old enough to be the readers’ parents. Still, their long-form content and popularity soars off the charts.

The main reason for dishing out long-form content is the tightening algorhythm of Google on its search results. Organic traffic is seen to be driven by feature-style content as search engines defend their territories with popularly-searched key phrases than mere keywords.

#4 Blogs are still in, but…

Content is king — there’s no doubt about it. With the comeback of blogging in the past 3 years, it seems that social media giants are starting to adapt, rather than kill, blogs. How’s that? Blogs are close buddies of search engines because of their highly searchable content — thus, a huge money-making partner for the likes of Google which depends on adwords and adsense for revenue. Seeing that this phenomenon will not drop in the next 5 years, social media behemoths Linkedin and Facebook have released their blog versions with Pulse and Instant Articles, respectively. We don’t know yet where this is going, at least in Southeast Asia, but content resellers such as GetCraft have been slowly but surely regionalizing their services in SEA. This signals the stronger demand for blogs and content in general. Our recommendation? Watch out for shifts in audience and platform loyalty in 2017.

#3 Influencer Marketing

In today’s content-crazy world, it’s no longer important to just know what the message is, but more importantly, who is the messenger. Influencer marketing does the trick when it comes to brand positioning. Social media has actually created new influencers but content platforms and content marketing agencies in the Philippines have supported this trend. More sponsored posts will come out in 2017 in various forms and sizes. Catching this trend early will be more important since exclusive deals with content influencers will be the norm.

#2 Go Mobile or Die

The obvious trend today is in engagement economics which is primarily the use of mobile devices. As of January 2016, 45 million adults access the Internet mostly on mobile, according to data from We Are Social. In fact, all figures point towards a mobile-led economy in the next 10 years globally. There is no stopping this trend. What to do? Switch all digital marketing strategies towards mobile. Most of our campaigns this year have recorded very high engagement metrics on mobile devices. Roughly 80% of our Facebook content have been accessed on mobile devices. Multiple devices per individual have also been recorded. So there. Have a mobile strategy for your brand or risk its early demise.

#1 Real Integrated Content Marketing Strategy is a Must

It’s no longer true to just have a content marketing strategy. Brands need to integrate their content across communication platforms in 2017 or risk a disconnect with target audiences. In 2015, Generation Z has started working. This group of focused and over-loyal generation were born with cellphones n their midst. They were born to adapt to multi-screens and thus, know if there is a disconnect between branded content and social content. Their choices are formed early and use the power of community. So in 2017, if your content is not integrated across all your communications platforms, you’d start seeing the gory results in your bottomline by end year.

Other upcoming trends are emerging in content marketing strategy for 2017, but the foregoing 5 trends above resound the most to Philippine marketers.

In the meantime, rethink your total digital strategies. If you’re an SME, it’s worth re-examining as youd have the strongest leverage against the big boys.

Let’s talk soon!

—

About the Author

Homerun Nievera is a pioneer digital marketing evangelist in the Philippines since 1998. He was the former Global Head of Advertising Operations and Partnerships for both Friendster.com and Multiply.com before venturing into tech startups in the U.S. and the Philippines. He is currently the CEO of digital content marketing solutions provider Heartshaper Asia and is in the board of several tech and digital companies. Homer speaks on digital trends, passion-led entrepreneurship and servant leadership. Follow Homer on Facebook.

The post 5 Digital content and marketing trends for Philippine entrepreneurs in 2017 appeared first on Village Connection PH.

Have you read about so many stories and posts telling about how the world has gone from good to bad? A bad president, drug crimes, countless killings, poverty, pollution, and a lot lot more. Stories like these are disheartening even to the most kind and loving person.

A great way to counteract all that negativity has been mentioned by Mahatma Gandhi. “You must be the change you want to see in the world.” In other words, although life changes are inevitable, we can also initiate personal change so we can rise to the challenge and become a bigger and better person as a result.

None of us can change the entire world all by ourselves. We have to make small positive efforts in our own lives and encourage others to do the same, a snowball effect occurs that can affect the entire planet in time. You can help bring about positive change in the world

1. Share Positivity – Actions and words that promote good are most often appreciated by people and are far less stressful than focusing on negative emotions.
2. Plant a Tree – If you can plant a tree, imagine if the whole country will also do the same.
3. Speak Up and Take Action – Impart your ideas. Make these ideas happen.
4. Stop Polluting Our Waters – If we stop dumping litter to our seas and rivers, we will have clean water to drink.
5. Volunteer – Yes, volunteer. There are a lot of organizations out there that needs your help and support for a common good.
6. Be Kind – One kind gesture a day is contagious.
7. Clean Up – Washing the dishes, sweeping the floor isn’t so bad. It will send the right signals to people who we work with.
8. Meditate – A prayer or some quiet time will clear your mind of negative things.
9. Improve Your Eating Habits – Watch your health. Over-eating is unhealthy too.

Check What You Wear or Use – Will the things that you wear or use contribute to the good of the environment?

—

The Village Connect accepts guest postings and contributions. Feel free to inquire.

The post 10 Small Things You Can Do to Change the World appeared first on Village Connection PH.

I have had this book in my library for more than ten years. It was only now that I was able to actually read it.

It is also my first time to give my insights on a book I’ve read. So here goes…

Author Patrick Lencioni knows how to capture his audience, especially if it were a top executive like himself. He is the Co-founder and CEO of The Table Group, a management consulting firm in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The Five Temptations of a CEO was an eye opener. As a chief executive of two startups, I have found the concepts he presented to be very real. Presented in a story format, Lencioni was able to capture the journey of a company chief executive beginning with his personal milestones when he rose up the ranks to that of facing the board of directors in his present post.

The daily operational challenges a CEO faces is nothing compared to the fear of falling to any of the five temptations discussed in the book. Presented as a fable, Leoncioni’s book reflects his talent in creating screen plays. In fact, the format was spot-on in bringing to fore the feelings the central fictional character of CEO Andre O’Brien has.

Here are the five temptations discussed in the book:

Results vs. status

Any hard-working CEO knows what it took to get him or her to the top — results!

The challenge is to maintain a keen eye on results rather than on a CEO’s status. This means that egos are set aside by top leaders for the sake of the company.

The book presents a potential threat a leader can succumb to when the likes of “Andy” (the CEO in the fable) would focus on the perks of the job — the title in particular — rather than on the reason he is there, which is to bring the company to profitability.

At some point in his career, a company CEO is tempted to slacken his grip on more important goals than things that go with the status.

The next temptation, accountability vs. popularity, seeks to drill down the need for focus of a company top honcho.

Executive questions: What were the most important milestones in your career? Do they represent things that are good for the company or for yourself?

Accountability vs. popularity

“You’re fired!”

This is Donald Trump’s most popular statement. It talks about accountability.

In the book, Lencioni paints a picture on the character of Andy. He is nothing compared to the seemingly ruthless Donald Trump in “The Apprentice” TV show.

There is another central character in the fable. It’s this janitor that Andy meets and talks with on a late train ride home. His insights about accountability are right on the money. The janitor’s story of his father, a former railroad company executive, on accountability, was a something worth learning.

They learning  is about not firing someone. How? Make your employees accountable with regular reminders on results they need to achieve. If they don’t meet it, they themselves will resign. If they don’t, then fire them. No hard feelings. The good of the company (and its other hardworking employees) goes above one’s feelings, right?

Executive questions: Have you fired someone? What would you have done differently so as not to have come to that?

Clarity vs. certainty

Fact: You need to present clear goals and directions to hold people accountable.

Everything in a company, starting with it mission and vision, has to be crystal clear to all employees and stakeholders. If there is even just one point, such as a core value that is not clear to one person in the organization, accountability cannot be implemented to all.

In the book, Leoncioni created a picture of this occurrence in the CEO’s firing of the marketing head. There was a question of initiative in educating the guy about his accountabilities while Andy (the CEO) was seen as protecting his friendly reputation or not being popular.

Executive questions: Have you presented clear goals to your employees? Do you have an issue about popularity in your organization?

Conflict vs. harmony

A happy environment is good at work. However, too much happiness in the culture might create too much harmony, too. This is what author Lencioni describes as the fourth temptation for CEOs.

Not all great ideas are threshed out in an environment of complete harmony. This is because of the possible conflict that may arise, and thus, be contrary to “acceptance” that a “too happy” workplace has established.

Personal emotions fly out in a conference room where ideas are put on the table. That should be ok. It’s not all about being liked or not, but it’s simply getting the best ideas that will push the company’s interests further. By having a too harmonious corporate atmosphere, you would have missed the opportunity to view and hear other people’s opinions that could have skyrocketed your company’s revenues.

Executive questions: Are you Mr. Nice Guy who wants to be friends with everybody? How do you get all the best ideas out in your company?

Trust vs. invulvernability

The fifth and final temptation discussed by Lencioni is trust vs. invulnerability. Any relationship needs nourishing. Trust is a big factor in nourishing relationships in and outside the corporate setup. One goes out of his/her comfort zone in order to trust people, and be trusted in return. Is trusting people in your organization a sign of weakness?

Lencioni gives his ultimate advice to CEOs: “actively encourage your people to challenge your ideas.”

He says that this is the greatest level of trust a chief executive can give his people. Indeed, this is one of the most difficult things to do as it involves a CEO’s temptation to achieve invulnerability. Lencioini says that in return, employees will give their respect and honesty to their peers. That is good for the company.

Executive questions: How can you give more trust to your employees in making decisions? How much participation can you give your employees in decision-making as a team?

Next steps include self-examination of your priorities in your organization, and looking into your managers’ capabilities, using the five temptations as your basis. Good luck!

The post Insights: Five Temptations of a CEO appeared first on Village Connection PH.