‘Marketing Tony Meloto for the next Philippine president’

Q: We’re the same group of political science students who requested you to do a social marketing analysis of how to enhance Secretary Mar Roxas’ chances for election as the next president of the country.  In your column last week, you mentioned that your social marketing model of “voter choice behavior … can be used for any other candidate” we may want analyzed “in terms of his or her chances for becoming the country’s president come election time.”

We will appreciate very much if you will do this on our true choice.  He is the Gawad Kalinga founder, Mr. Tony Meloto.

A: Our column likes getting requests from young, socially conscious students like your group.  In this particular request, we have to admit that we were intrigued by your choice.  So yes, we’d like to carry out a similar social marketing diagnosis as we did on Mar Roxas in last Friday’s column.

We will start and end in the same way.  We will analyze Tony Meloto’s chances for Philippine presidency by applying the social marketing model for predicting voter choice behavior.

So to recall, for getting any candidate elected as president, keep in mind to shape the campaign according to this principle: “The candidate that’s able to build and sustain over the campaign period a singular capability image that resonates with the voters’ priority attribute for a president will win.  Conversely, the candidate that insists on his multiple capabilities even when true or shifts capability image over the campaign period will lose.”

Imagine that you and your group are a party to a “Tony Meloto for President Movement.”

How will you apply the preceding principle and help effectively shape Meloto’s campaign?

Ask: “Does Meloto have a singular capability image that resonates with the voters’ priority attribute for a president?”

In the case of Tony Meloto that’s almost like a rhetorical question.  Indeed he has that singular and (if we may add) proven capability image resonating with almost all voters’ priority attribute for a president.

It was for that singular and proven capability image that he won in 2006 the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award for community leadership.  So social marketing says: “You could not have chosen a better presidential candidate to succeed Pnoy.  Tony IS IT!”  (… said with apologies to Coke.)

Let’s be specific.  What is Meloto’s singular and proven capability image?  It’s in his vision for the country.  He said this in his acceptance speech during the awarding ceremony for the Ramon Magsaysay award.

That vision is to see the Philippines as “a nation without slums.”  And it’s a vision that he has made real and continues to make real as he strives via his GK Foundation to add more and more GK villages and communities to his already more than 7,000 GK communities.

What does “a nation without slums” mean for this country?  That’s to make “extreme poverty” history.  SWS statistics tell us that the Philippine poor population is around 80 percent.  According to A.C. Nielsen, the country’s largest survey research organization, it’s even more, 90 percent.

The Class of extreme poor is often referred to as the Class E. The SWS quarterly surveys have estimated this segment to be hovering around 15 percent.  These are the families who are hungry every so often during any given month with a good number hungry every day.  These are the truly marginalized extreme poor.  They are the intended beneficiaries of the United Nations’ top No.1 MDG (Millennium Development Goal).

Speaking of “resonating with the voters’ priority attribute for a presidential candidate,” what can beat this one in favor of Meloto?

This Meloto attribute does not only resonate in this country; it resonates in the entire world, the United Nations.

So Tony Meloto seems like an amazingly unbeatable presidential candidate. To use today’s political buzzword, he’s a most “electable” candidate.

But as in everything that’s just too good to be true, there’s a serious hitch.  We understand from our own friends in the government and in politics that Tony Meloto has repeatedly declined any elected or appointed government position.

Obviously, he has been offered more than a couple of times.  We heard he doesn’t like the power and is not interested even and especially for the highest government position.

Does social marketing have anything worthwhile to say about this?

None. This is no longer within its turf.  This belongs to the domain of “values” and therefore it’s about Tony Meloto’s faith and religion.  This is not to say that we as social marketers have nothing more to say.  We have.

Everyone knows how religious Tony Meloto is.  He’s a leading figure in the Couples for Christ Movement.  In fact, it was in Couples for Christ where Tony Meloto launched in 1995 his ministry, “Work with the Poor.”  That was in Bagong Silang, a large squatter relocation.  It was here where his Gawad Kalinga was born.

As a devout Catholic, Tony Meloto has the religious duty to answer this clear call from no other than God himself.

Your group should go and remind Tony Meloto about the Annunciation.  In Luke 1: 26-38, God sent his angel Gabriel to tell Mary that she has been chosen to be the mother of Jesus. And Mary said: “I am the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to His word.”

God has given much to Tony Meloto and so much is expected from him.  He cannot refuse God’s own call.  He must say as did Mary that (if) he is the chosen one from God.  And God has prepared him well for this job.  If he dares to still decline, he is sinning against his talent, the grace that God has given him.

So go and bring him this message from his Creator.

Keep your questions coming.  Send them to us at [email protected] or drnedmarketingrx@gmail. com. God bless!