BIZ BUZZ: BDO ‘most valuable’ PH brand

In corporate Philippines, which brands would investors pay the highest premium for?

According to London-based global brand valuation consultancy firm Brand Finance, BDO Unibank of the Sy family is the Philippines’ “most valuable” brand, followed by Jollibee and Globe Telecom.

BDO had topped a previously released ranking on local bank brands as well but a new report from Brand Finance ranked big companies across all sectors.

The report said the brand value of BDO has gone up by 14 percent to $2.5 billion, dislodging previous topnotcher PLDT, whose brand value slid by 25 percent to $1.9 billion, thus falling three places to fourth position. (The capital expenditure brouhaha last year may have something to do with the decline.)

READ: BIZ BUZZ: BDO deemed most valuable PH bank brand

On the other hand, Jollibee’s brand value climbed 51 percent to $2.3 billion as the homegrown fast-food chain continued its global expansion. While Globe’s brand value slipped 4 percent to $1.9 billion, it remained part of the top triumvirate.

“The growth in value of the most valuable Philippine brands echoes the positive sentiments of their nation’s economic outlook,” Brand Finance said. “This is especially so for brands in the banking and real estate sectors that benefited from strong postpandemic economic rebound, improving financial literacy as well as continued urbanization and gentrification.”

All banking and real estate brands listed in the 2023 rankings posted upticks in brand value this year that ranged from 4 percent to 26 percent for banking brands and 4 percent to 54 percent for real estate brands.

Chinabank posted the largest brand value percentage increase among banking brands with a 26 percent growth to $350 million while Ayala Land’s brand value increase of 54 percent to $451 million made it the largest brand value gainer among real estate brands.

In terms of “brand strength,” restaurant chain Mang Inasal was cited as the “strongest” among the Philippine brands ranked this year. It garnered a perfect score for brand familiarity, in line with an expanded store network. Following behind are Bear Brand and Globe Telecom as the second and third strongest brands, respectively.

Mang Inasal, whose brand value soared 201 percent to $374 million, was also among the largest brand value gainers, along with Chowking (brand value up 56 percent to $252 million.)

Ayala Land followed closely behind in third place with its 54-percent brand value growth to $451 million.

Rankings-wise, Mang Inasal jumped eight places to become the 15th most valuable Philippine brand. Chowking kept its 22nd place while Ayala Land rose one spot to 13th place.

What’s the difference between brand value and brand strength, you may ask. Brand value is defined as the net economic benefit that a brand owner would achieve by licensing the brand in the open market. Brand strength is the efficacy of a brand’s performance on intangible measures relative to its competitors. —Doris Dumlao-Abadilla

GSIS promotes digital services amid extreme heat

Temperatures hit dangerous levels in the past days and continue to disrupt some economic activities, including school classes. The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) thus urged its old-age and survivor pensioners to take advantage of available online services, instead of visiting branches amid the hot weather.

READ: GSIS intensifies move to shift to digital services

GSIS strongly advised its pensioners to complete their renewal of active status or the Annual Pensioners Information Revalidation through the pension fund’s digital platforms.

Pensioners have the option to use the GSIS Touch Mobile App, which features advanced facial recognition technology for secure status verification. This app allows pensioners to comply with revalidation requirements without leaving the safety of their homes.

They can download the GSIS Touch Mobile App from major app stores and follow simple steps to complete their status renewal. The app also offers other services that enhance the user experience, providing a one-stop solution for many of their needs.

Alternatively, pensioners seeking a more personalized service can opt for an online interview, which can be scheduled through designated GSIS email addresses. — Ian Nicolas P. Cigaral

Globe’s drive vs fraud

Telco giant Globe Telecom continues to foil SIM (subscriber identity module) cards found to be engaged in fraudulent activities even after the implementation of mandatory user registration.

The Ayala-led company said it deactivated 841 SIM cards from its network in the first quarter, which was 30 percent more than it did in the same period last year. These SIMs were deemed as a possible source of text scams.

READ: Poe seeks probe as text scams continue despite SIM registration law

It also blacklisted 36,459 SIMs from other networks at the same time. This figure was 62 percent higher from the previous year.

“We have zero tolerance for abusive SIMs that undermine network security and compromise customer experience. Our accelerated deactivation efforts demonstrate our unwavering resolve to fight these cybersecurity threats head-on,” Globe Chief information security officer Anton Bonifacio said. —Tyrone Jasper C. Piad INQ