Michelle Santillan has a job chocolate lovers will envy. And her many achievements in marketing iconic global brands such as Cadbury D...
Michelle
Santillan has a job chocolate lovers will envy. And her many achievements in marketing iconic global brands such as Cadbury Dairy Milk and Tobleroneas the Chocolates Category
Manager of Mondelez Philippines and Indonesiaare proofs that the path to
success can be as delicious.
A showcase of the
Mondelēz International talent pool
Among
Michelle’s latest accolades is the prestigious 2018 Mansmith Young Market
Masters Award (YMMA). The YMMA recognizes the talent and creativity of
outstanding marketing professionals in the country who excelled not just in
corporate performance but also in mentoring and leading their teams to success.
“I consider the YMMA win as a showcase of the marketing talents in our Company
and I am very proud to be representing that. I have been with the Company for
13 years, so I consider myself homegrown, with skills that are honed by working
with a talent pool that is open, diverse and rich in work experience in various
marketing arenas across the globe,” said Michelle.
“This award is symbolic of how embracing
boldness and fearlessness translates to tangible internal results and external
market share gains. Being bold and fearless is about being a trailblazer and
thinking innovatively. It does not have to always require big resources but we
have shown boldness by incorporating new thinking in utilizing existing
platforms in a different and unique way,” she added.
“I consider myself
fortunate to work for a company where the ultimate goal is to unleash the power
of its people. People are at the heart of Mondelēz International, be it by
creating some of the world’s best loved brands or creating a great place to
work. The Company culture encourages its people to grow their capabilities so
they can be empowered to enable growth not just locally but also internationally.”
Delicious Milestones
Under
Michelle’s leadership, her team bagged multiple recognitions from various marketing
and award-giving bodies for innovative marketing campaigns. One example that
won the MondelezAMEA Fly Fearless award is the Toblerone Blank Pack campaign that empowered consumers to make
personalized and therefore more thoughtful gifts. It was also under Michelle’s guidancethat
Mondelez Philippines became the first fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG)company in
the country to launch a
multiple and customized video campaign delivering 522 video ads reaching a
targeted audience with very specific and relevant messaging leading to an
uplift of in brand consideration.
These
winning marketing moves enabled Michelle and her team to contribute substantially
to the company’s overall operational excellence, with the Company posting back
to back double-digit growth in both the Philippines and Indonesia in the last
two years alone. According to 2016 Nielsen data, market shares are steadily on
the rise, with Mondelez Philippines and Indonesia ranking second and third
respectively in their own chocolate industries.
Best of global, best
of local
Michelle
also admitted she likes “to shake things up,” to always challenge the tried and
tested. “One of the biggest challenges of selling premium chocolates is to not
only survive, but also to thrive in the
intensively competitive marketplaces where local competitors boast of products
with low price points, vast network distributions, consumer affinity and strong
heritage assets,” she related. Adopting Mondelez International’sunique
philosophy of “the power of Big and Small”, she founded her campaigns inspired
by the best practices of a company that markets in 160 countries and executed
with the speed and agility of a new start up.
“We
have the advantage of having the best of global and local strategies to accelerate
our growth momentum. These allow us to work smarter and faster while sustaining
our driveand passion to cater to our customers’ needs. It is also a source of pride that we are part
of the Southeast Asia region which is one of the profitable growth engines for
Mondelēz International. And when you are embraced by a collaborative high-trust
culture anchored on a consistent vision of ‘Creating More Moments of Joy’,
there is no other wayto go but up,” said Michelle.
