Tycoons say PDI’s new media quintet ‘more effective’ for their ad campaigns

The leaders of the country’s most influential business groups—all of which are long-running partners of the Philippine Daily Inquirer—on Friday lauded the redesign and multimedia thrust of the country’s No. 1 newspaper, saying the new system provides a more potent platform for disseminating news as well as advertising campaigns.

In particular, the business luminaries cheered the new Inquirer’s so-called “media quintet” which seamlessly fuses the 30-year-old newspaper with new and refreshed distribution methods like websites for desktop and mobile phones, the applications for tablets and mobile phones, and the Apple smartwatch.

“It’s a winner,” said tycoon Andrew Tan, who chairs the

Alliance Global Group conglomerate. “The new Inquirer is very engaging. I like it, and I think you are doing the right thing.”

Tan, who also founded Megaworld Corp., one of the Philippines’ largest property developers, predicted that the new five-pronged media platform would be an effective tool for promoting the products of the real estate giant.

“I can see the multiplatform approach and I like it,” he said. “It’s definitely effective for us [advertisers].”

The new Inquirer media platform—where the group’s reporters, writers, editors and production staff work as a single unit—was designed to address the growing demand for 24/7 news delivered rapidly over several digital channels, while emphasizing the role of the newspaper that will continue to play a central role in the information delivery cycle.

The Inquirer partnered with US-based media design guru Dr. Mario Garcia and his firm, Garcia Media, to conceptualize and execute a new news product, building on the “nonnegotiables” set down by the group’s stakeholders, specifically to adhere to the Inquirer’s values and keep readers at the center of the process.

SM group vice chair Teresita Sy-Coson welcomed the new Inquirer thrust, highlighting the “hip” new layout that puts extra emphasis on visuals.

“Of course, in terms of the Inquirer’s content, I don’t think I can ask more,” she said. “But I like the new layout which is very current.”

The SM group, which relies heavily on media advertising to promote its shopping malls as well as real estate developments, is also a major partner of the Inquirer.

“The new system is very effective for us in our ad campaigns,” Sy-Coson said. “I’m excited to do more things with the Inquirer.”

Meanwhile, Anton Huang, who heads retail giant Rustans Commercial Corp. and Stores Specialists Inc., focused on the visual appeal of the new Inquirer news platforms.

“The new format and layout is a breeze to read,” he said. “It is very pleasing to the eye, and the texts and images are not congested at all. I like the clean and organized look.”

“As an advertiser, this is very important to us. We are assured that our messages are communicated in a clean and clutter-free way,” Huang said.

Century Properties Group chair Jose E.B. Antonio said the Inquirer’s transformation was “timely” and made journalism “more relevant in the digital age.”

More importantly, the new system provides “an exciting new promotional platform for companies such as ours and readers like me,” said the real estate magnate.

“Inquirer’s redesign offers a refreshing look at the news,” said Antonio, whose firm builds high-rise and upscale condominium projects. “The broadsheet’s digital integration not only delivers current events promptly; it also gives the reader a more seamless experience.”

The head of San Miguel Corp., another regular Inquirer business partner, also welcomed the changes in “form and substance” of the group as it responded to the changing media environment.

“In an era where readers have a lot of new and exciting avenues to get breaking news, the Inquirer creates a new future by reinventing itself, focusing on readers’ experience, relevance and community engagement,” SMC president Ramon Ang said.

The conglomerate uses the Inquirer to advertise its business units’ food and petroleum products, as well as its new infrastructure projects.

“Inquirer is already a great product with a legacy,” Ang said. “Now it just might become even greater.”