VSmart Launches New Features for SY 2021-2022

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

VSmart recently launched three new features that make VSmart, the company’s flagship product for education and technology, more relevant and responsive to the needs of school managers, teachers, and students in the new now of education. These new features—VSmart Digital Library, VSmart Analytics, VSmart Games—are solutions that further help schools to succeed in this era of flexible and hybrid learning. 

VSmart Digital Library is an online library where students and teachers can access e-books, learning resources, and lesson supplements. Students and teachers can simply log in and indulge in reading class modules, textbooks, children’s story books, and reference materials. VSmart Digital Library also gives teachers an opportunity to teach students how to search, analyze, and utilize digital resources which is a crucial skill for 21st-century learning.

VSmart Analytics helps users access and analyze data in a snap. School administrators can now view and analyze engagements between teachers and students in different subject areas. Teachers can now measure students’ progress per available competencies. Teachers can view overall screen time and activity logs of students, and track the overall class performance and learning progress. Students and parents can now monitor their learning progress.

VSmart Games takes VSmart users to a new level of gamified learning. Each game is age-appropriate to their intended players, and is anchored to the pedagogical skills that hone mastery in different subjects the game is linked to.

These new features will be available this school year 2021-2022 to all users of VSmart. Interested schools may email marketing@vibalgroup.com for a VSmart presentation and training.

Gordon says no country deserves Duterte's leadership

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

It's the 7th hearing of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on the government's use of COVID-19 funds. Sen. Richard Gordon hits back at President Duterte: This is not an inquisition of sorts na pinapalabas ng Pangulo ng Pilipinas na binubully natin ang mga testigo. 

Gordon accuses Duterte of lawyering for officials involved in the alleged anomalies in the DOH's procurement.

Gordon also disputes Duterte claim that members of his Cabinet are not involved in corruption.

In refusing to be cowed by Duterte's remarks, Gordon recalls the President cursing at the Pope and ordering police and military to "kill, kill, kill". He also says that "nobody talks to [Duterte] in international conferences" due to his reputation.

Gordon calls Duterte "Attorney Duterte" for lawyering for Michael Yang for being investigated on the Pharmally deal. 

Gordon must not give up his quest for truth in the Pharmally scandal in terms of serving the common good. The law and jurisprudence is on his side. He must do so with fullness of courage, objectivity and political will. 

"Wala pa naman po kaming hinuhusga. TIla baga lumalabas natataranta ang Pangulo. Bakit kailangang kayo ang kailangang magtanggol, Mr. President?" 

Nung nagsimula ang Blue Ribbon binigwasan naman niyo po kami rito sa Senado. ''Wag kayong makinig diyan, walang mapapala diyan sa imbestigasyon na 'yan.' Bakit sa umpisa pa lang nagtatago na kayo?

Ayaw niyong pakinggan ng tao ang imbestigasyon ng COA, ayaw niyong pakinggan ng tao ang imbestigasyon ng Senado. Napapaso po ba kayo?

Kaya hindi sila makasagot, ang tagasagot nila ngayon si Atty. Duterte. Nag-aabogado po si Atty. Duterte ngayon, hindi na siya pangulo ng Pilipinas.

Nagtataka lang ang marami, bakit kayo ang nagtatanggol dito kay Lao na naging kasama niyo sa kampanya. Totoo, sinabi niyo may utang na loob kayo. Pero 'wag naman ho ang utang na loob ay hindi pinapalitan ang katiwalian.

Di niyo po ako mapipikon kasi ako totoo ang ginagawa ko. Iwas kayo ng iwas para sa mga tao niyong nagpapasasa.

No country deserves that kind of leadership. No country deserves your leadership. 

Mahirap kayong tangkilin Mr. President because you do not act like a president. Today, I tell you you are not a president the Filipino people can respect.

Nobody talks to you in international conferences because nauna 'yung reputation niyo na mapagmura, mapusok at talagang sinasabi niyo 'Kill, Kill, Kill.'

Tigilan na natin 'to, Mr. President. 'Wag niyo na ipagtanggol 'yan. Hayaan niyong matapos ito, payag na ko sabihin niyo walang overpricing. Sa pananaw niyong walang overpricing, I will say simple lang: may fraud, may waste, may abuse.

Huwag nang sagutin pa ni Senator Gordon si Duterte. He must stop answering Duterte. He must continue the inquiry in aid of legislation sa Pharmally for the sake of truth and in terms of passing a remedial legislation to reform further the Procurement Law for it to be a catalyst in furthering good governance. Kasi kapag sinasagot pa, what would be implied is yung mga atake pa ni Duterte against him is working. Kaya it is better na huwag nang sagutin so that the attacks will not work and para magmukhang ewan si Duterte sa kakabira sa kanya.

How Netizens Intervened the Media to Counteract its Standards of Feminine Beauty

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

People have been constantly adjusting to the changes since it has been more than a year since the Philippines has been in mandatory quarantines. These changes include new working and studying arrangements, purchasing habits, hobbies and interests, among others. Because of this, even the way people take care of themselves at home has shifted.

 
The pandemic has changed beauty standards in many ways, with some people incorporating so-called ‘life hacks’ to make self-care and maintenance easier for people. Other brands have had their products change their main ingredients to promote sustainability amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Popular Philippine dermatological company Belo Medical Group released an advertisement on August 11, aiming to promote self-care with their brand. The ad was presented with a woman watching the news on the couch, getting stressed out. The ad, dubbed as the Pandemic Effect, has since been taken down after attracting flak online. Netizens criticised the ad for being tone-deaf and insensitive despite being in a pandemic, and the hashtags #PandemicEffect and #BoycottBelo trended.

Body Shaming is Out. Body Positivity is In.
In the advertisement, the woman is seen to develop acne, gain weight, and grow ridiculously long body hair overtime in the ad. As the short film by GIGIL Advertising Group nears the end, it flashed a call-to-action, saying: "Tough times call for beautiful measures." This prompted responses from Filipino women encouraging each other to be comfortable in their skin despite all the negativity and challenges brought by the pandemic.

 
“The advertisement of The Belo Medical Group #PandemicEffect campaign just proved that social media users have a big impact on how a brand or entity should effectively communicate with its consumers. It is vital to track the sentiment of conversations, allowing the brand to take action before a bad experience goes viral,” Tina Laceda, Insights Analyst, Philippines, said.

Shocking Reality

Although negative response to this campaign was prominent, this study found out that some netizens did not find the ad offensive and insensitive. This group believed that Belo and GIGIL, somehow, managed to show the reality of life. They also noted that it helped raise awareness on certain issues concerning one’s health.

Looking into the response towards this ad, the reaction from the digital public was varied. However, despite the diversity in reactions, there will always be outliers that will pop out which can be highlighted to advance one’s communication objectives. This is why brands need to find the needle in the haystack by wading through their social buzz where valuable insights can be mined.
Note that having a lot of engagement on social media might seem like a success. However, a high volume of mentions is only a positive sign when it’s accompanied by positive sentiment. Given this, understanding your audience’s sentiment is important. How they feel about your brand provides you with the context necessary to evaluate your marketing and communications strategy.

“Sorry” as the Marketing Strategy
Companies hit by a crisis of misconduct typically issue a public apology to minimize reputational damage, negative word-of-mouth, and declining sales. Brands should be quick to apologize, whether it is for a social media gaffe or a much larger issue. However, the manner in how they do it is equally crucial.

Following the backlash, GIGIL released a short and simple apology, owning up to its mistake. Interestingly, this worked for GIGIL as netizens noted they see true remorse and a genuine willingness to improve moving forward.

At times, releasing a public apology may not be enough. Brands should go beyond their effort and understand how their message is perceived by the digital public. Apology efficacy varies according to the audience, brand, and message factors, hence exploring how consumers process a corporate apology on social media is vital in crisis communication.

“Marketing for any brand today has become all about staying relevant and updated. Keeping abreast of the latest trends in the digital sphere is important as it will help in designing purpose-driven campaigns that resonate with the target audience. To add, this will help brands stay ahead of the curve and capitalize on emerging trends even before they go mainstream.” Gladys Ruiz, Insights Analyst, Philippines commented.