MOST have met the men executives of Cebu Landmasters Inc., which debuted in the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) last June 2, the first Cebuano real estate company to go public.
But it’s a woman in charge of the company’s marketing and branding efforts: Joanna Marie Soberano-Bergunthal, 30, Cebu Landmasters’ vice president and marketing director.
More than just the daughter of the president, Jose Soberano III, Joanna has handled significant positions in one of the world’s largest food and beverage companies, Nestle, for roughly seven years.
She also represented the company as the Philippines’ first delegate to an international program for marketing and sales for young leaders, when she spent two years in the headquarters in Switzerland and in Thailand handling various global brands.
She is a top Integrated Marketing Communications graduate from the University of Asia and the Pacific, with a bachelor and master’s degrees in communication, major in integrated marketing communications.
She recommends three titles for those interested in learning about marketing.
“Positioning” by Al Reis and Jack Trout was her first marketing book and “something I give to new marketing professionals to read.”
“This taught me the value of positioning, which is all about clearly defining your brand, who you are, what makes you unique, different vs. other players. This is the first step in marketing and branding, and once identified, you are able to stand out better and you can develop your marketing campaign from there.”
“Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell is another choice.
“This book is important as it shows how a certain moment, idea or passion can lead to a life-changing breakthrough or turnaround. This can be for a business or for yourself. I believe we all have this moment, or will have it at some point in our lives as it did with me personally.”
John Maxwell’s “360-Degree leader” taught Joanna that “you can be a leader no matter what position you are in. This motivated me when I was starting my career as a young professional in a multinational to think big, be courageous and already develop myself as a leader.” JOG