Readers Digest Trusted Brands 2016:Honor the Products that Filipinos trust most

What is the mark of a good business?

Is it the consistent increase in sales; the continued accumulation of assets or a financial statement that will keep investors smiling?

Five or ten years ago, these figures may be enough, but in the current business landscape, there is one other factor that has become critical in building a strong foundation-- Trust.

TRUST has become a “high-value” currency that is accepted globally outweighing the value of any monetary conversion. Gone are the days when people just look at the lavish office buildings when choosing their banks, on shiny new equipment of service centers or rely on commercials and celebrity endorsers when deciding which brand to purchase.

Today, trust plays a crucial element when consumers make a decision--and with the widespread ubiquity of the internet and social media, the importance of establishing a good reputation has only become more pronounced.

Companies can recover from decreasing profits or a downtrend in sales, but when its consumers lose confidence it can result in irreparable damage regardless of how old a brand is.

Trust is that one factor that remains constant. Once trust is established, it becomes an instinctive response – the consumer buys the brand without so much as a second thought because they can relate to it as "their" brand.

Trust is the ultimate vote of confidence. For businesses it is a forward-facing measure imbued with expectation, promise and satisfaction and a solid reputation of distinction.

For consumers, the mark of a Trusted Brand fosters loyalty and a relationship that goes far beyond price, trends and marketing campaigns.

MOST TRUSTED SURVEY

Now on its 18th year, Reader’s Digest, one of the longest running print publications in the world, will again honor the products and services that Filipinos trust most. The Trusted Brands 2016 Awards ceremony will be held on June 30, 2016 at the ballroom A of the Marco Polo Hotel in Ortigas, Pasig.

Renowned motivational speaker and business influencer, Ms. Anna Esperanza will be the keynote speaker while Reader’s Digest Asia Pacific Mr. Walter Beyleveldt, Managing Director of Readers Digest Asia Pacific and Ms. Sheron White, Group Advertising & Retail Sales Director, Asia Pacific will be personally awarding the trophies to the winners.

Reader's Digest has approached ordinary Filipino consumers to ask their opinions on what brands of products and services are important to them.

For the 2016 Trusted Brand Survey, Readers Digest has commissioned global market research company CATALYST to survey a representative sample of people in the Philippines about the companies they truly believe. The survey covers 44categories of products and services across a wide range of industries.

Approximately 8,000 individuals were selected across 5 of Asia’s key markets such as the Philippines, HongKong, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan.

Around 1000 respondents were surveyed in the Philippines.  Half were subscribers to Reader's Digest, while the remainder were selected to reflect the demographics of the general population.

Each respondent was required to complete a questionnaire or participate in a mail, face to face, telephone or online survey.  Queried participants are to mention the name of their most trusted brands and then rate each of brands listed based the following six attributes: Trustworthiness, Credibility, Quality, Value, Understanding of Customer Needs, Innovation and Social Responsibility.  This year the awards will be presented in each of the 44categories.

GOLD Trusted Brands Awards – will be given to brands that scored significantly higher than their rivals.
PLATINUM Trusted Brands Awards – will be given to brands that performed exceptionally, winning their category with a score that vastly outpolled their nearest competitor.

ASIA TRUSTED Brand Awards will be given to a brand that wins the Reader's Digest Trusted Brand award in the same category for at least three countries surveyed.

Special awards will also be given out to the Most Trusted TV News Presenter; Radio Presenter; Entertainment Presenter as well as Marketing Excellence Awards.

Recipients of the Trusted Brand awards will receive given a Trophy and will be allowed to use the globally recognized Trusted Brand Logo in their marketing collaterals and merchandising materi

Bangkok Claims Top Spot in MasterCard’s Inaugural Index

Inbound arrivals to Bangkok grew 28.6% in 2015,
 with three Thai destinations securing top 10 positions

Bangkok has increased its lead over the pack as the region’s most popular destination, with international overnight visitors breaking the 20 million mark for the first time, according to the results of the inaugural MasterCard Asia Pacific Destinations Index.  Second place was a close fight between Singapore and Tokyo.

The inaugural index provides a ranking of 167 destinations across Asia Pacific. Thailand dominated the top ten destinations, taking three of the top ten rankings, with Phuket securing fifth place (9.3 million) and the coastal city of Pattaya coming in at eighth place (8.1 million).

Half of the top 10 destinations saw 10 percent growth or more in international overnight visitor numbers between 2014 and 2015 – Osaka (54.0 percent), Tokyo (53.2 percent), Bangkok (28.6 percent), Phuket (15.5 percent) and Pattaya (10.0 percent).

The top 20 destinations of Asia Pacific represent around half of all international overnight arrivals to the 167 Asia Pacific destinations covered by the Index.

The top ten Asia Pacific destinations ranked by international overnight visitor numbers: Bangkok – 21.9 million,  Singapore – 11.8 million, Tokyo – 11.8 million,  Kuala Lumpur – 11.3 million, Phuket – 9.3 million, Seoul – 9.2 million, Hong Kong – 8.3 million, Pattaya – 8.1 million, Bali – 7.2 million, and Osaka – 6.5 million.

Asia Pacific’s tourism industry is the largest in the world by total contribution to GDP, having overtaken Europe in 2014. Tourism contributed US$2.27 trillion to Asia Pacific economies and 153.7 million jobs in 2015.

Bangkok also ranked number one in total expenditure at US$15.2 billion, with Seoul (US$14.4 billion) coming in second place, followed by Singapore (US$14.1 billion), Tokyo (US$11.9 billion) and Kuala Lumpur (US$10.5 billion).

The top ten Asia Pacific destinations by total expenditure are: Bangkok – US$15.2 billion, Seoul – US$14.4billion, Singapore  – US$14.1 billion, Tokyo – US$11.9 billion, Kuala Lumpur – US$10.5 billion, Bali – US$10.3 billion, Taipei – US$9.5 billion, Phuket – US$8.0 billion, Hong Kong – US$6.7 billion, Sydney – US$6.0 billion.

Of the top 20 destinations by total expenditure per day, Shanghai (US$269 per day) welcomed the biggest spenders, followed by Beijing (US$262 per day), Seoul (US$258 per day), Singapore (US$255 per day) and Hong Kong (US$240 per day).

Matthew Driver, Group Executive, Global Products & Solutions, Asia Pacific, MasterCard, commented, “The tourism industry in Asia Pacific is continuing to show robust growth with an increasing number of destinations receiving well over five million visitors a year, driven by increased consumer wealth, particularly from China. Our Asia Pacific Destinations Index (APDI) 2015 reveals the continued resilience of the Thailand market for tourism led by a resurgent Bangkok, as well as the return to popularity of Japan for visitors as demonstrated by the more than 50 percent growth year on year in its top four destinations. Providing in-depth analysis of overnight arrivals in 167 Asia Pacific destinations, the APDI can help businesses and governments better understand the underlying components of in-bound tourism demand, so they can plan investment to ensure the sustainable development of the tourism industry. This is becoming increasingly important as tourist numbers continue to rise, as at current growth rates, Asia Pacific will have more than 500 million tourist arrivals by 2020.”

Revealed: Philippines's Most Trusted Names

THE BRANDS AND PEOPLE WE BELIEVE IN THE MOST

The Philippines has voted, and the results are in.

The Reader’s Digest Most Trusted Survey, now in its 17th year, has identified the brands and services Filipinos believe in, above all others, along with our most trusted TV presenter and sports personality.

Having a trusted name in 2015 – as a brand or a public figure – is more valuable than ever, especially in a world where choices are increasingly decided with a click on the computer, or a click on the TV remote.

It’s a huge endorsement,” notes Walter Beyleveldt, Reader’s Digest Managing Director, Asia Pacific.  “And one the winners should be very proud of.”

THE BRANDS FILIPINOS TRUST

Ø  Filipinos trust their meals to Baguio cooking oil, believe the quality of Monterey and Magnolia Chicken, and are confident in shopping at SM Malls. We’re secure with Acer laptops and when it comes to capturing those precious memories we prefer Canon cameras.  In all, the survey covers a broad range of 42 different product and service categories. See here / See attached for the full results

 Ø  One of the world’s leading custom research firms, Ipsos, was commissioned to conduct the independent poll, and to ensure results were compiled in an objective manner using proven methodology.  Approximately 5,000 individuals were selected across 5 of Asia’s key markets such as the Philippines, HongKong, Malaysia, and Taiwan.

Ø  In the Philippines, around 1000 respondents completed the survey. Half were subscribers to Reader's Digest, while the remainder were selected to reflect the demographics of the general population.

Ø  Consumers were asked to rate the brands they nominated on six qualitative criteria, including quality, value and innovation

Ø  There are two premium level awards given for Philippines Most Trusted Brands.  Gold Trusted Brand Award winners are those which stand out clearly above their competitors.  Platinum Trusted Brand Award is for brands which have achieved a mathematical ranking at least double that of the nearest competitor.

“Having a trusted brand is a distinct competitive advantage, and something the winners should quite rightly be making the most of in the marketplace,” notes Sheron White, Reader’s Digest Group Advertising Director, Asia Pacific.   “Congratulations to them all.”

 MOST TRUSTED PERSONALITIES

 The Reader’s Digest Most Trusted Survey has also identified the Philippines most trusted TV presenter, entertainment presenter and our most trusted sports personality.

 These are highly popular and competitive sectors, where trust is a crucial attribute.

 “TV presenters and their ratings depend on our trust, so to top this poll is a significant achievement indeed,” notes Sue Carney, Reader’s Digest Editor-in-Chief, Asia Pacific.

 “Likewise, sport is something of a cultural and emotional attachment for many people, so being at the top of the podium is definitely worth celebrating.”

 Much like the awardees for the consumer categories, the Filipinos choice for the Most Trusted Personalities have likewise remained consistent for the past few years.

 Ms. Jessica Soho remains as the Most Trusted News Presenter for the fifth straight year, proving how much the Filipinos value her news reporting and her opinions.

 As one of the most visible TV personalities and bankable product endorsers, multi awarded host Vic Sotto has again been voted as the Most Trusted Entertainment Presenter.

 Sotto, who has been part of Eat Bulaga, the Philippines longest running variety shows on TV, has also hosted several game shows and starred in various sitcoms throughout the years.

 Finally, despite coming up short in what was billed as the “greatest boxing match of the century” Filipino Pride and future boxing hall of famer Manny Pacquiao continues to be the Filipinos Most Trusted Sports Personality.