Nestlé Wins Grand Anvil Award For Its 2011 Centennial Celebration

Source: Manila Bulletin online
http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/352918/nestl-wins-grand-anvil-award-for-its-2011-centennial-celebration 

March 1, 2012, 3:17amMANILA, Philippines — Nestlé Philippines, Inc. (NPI) won the Grand Anvil award this year for the company’s 2011 celebration of 100 years in the Philippines with the theme, Kasambuhay, Habambuhay (Companion in Life, For Life). The Grand Anvil is the highest form of recognition for a public relations program in the country.

The 47th Anvil Awards, an annual competition first held in 1963 by the Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP), drew a total of 283 entries in the PR program category, with 161 submitted to jurors, and 21 winning the Anvil Award of Excellence.

“We are most grateful to the PRSP and the Anvil 2011 jurors for recognizing Nestlé Philippines’ efforts to celebrate our centennial by honoring Filipino consumers and reaffirming our bonds with them,” said Nestlé Philippines Chairman and CEO John Miller. “The Grand Anvil strengthens our resolve to pursue our mission of helping to nurture future generations of Filipino families, and contributing to the development of a strong and prosperous nation, in the next 100 years,” he added.

“In receiving the Grand Anvil we are humbled by the trust of Filipino consumers in Nestlé. They have made the company’s centennial possible,” Nestlé Philippines Director of Communications Sandra Puno said, “and the award gives us great inspiration in serving as their Kasambuhay, Habambuhay, in meeting their continuously evolving needs in nutrition, health and wellness.”

The celebration of Nestlé Philippines’ centennial started with the launch of its acclaimed centennial TV commercial, which paid tribute to the Filipino family through generations, with the company’s brands as a constant presence in everyday life. The second phase was the launch of the Nestlé Kasambuhay, Habambuhay Short Film Anthology, a 100-minute collection of 10 short films directed by the country’s top creative film directors who have also produced TV commercials for Nestlé. Drawing on so many stories of Nestlé brands as Kasambuhay to countless Filipinos, the highly entertaining films have been shown for free in local cinemas as well as free and cable TV.

The centennial celebration of Nestlé throughout 2011 included: an initiative at the start of the year by its sales force to build 100 tables and 200 benches for Gawad Kalinga, which set a new record for the largest carpentry lesson in the Guinness Book of World Records; the I Choose Wellness Expo 2011 which over two days drew 24,000 consumers who experienced Nestlé Wellness activities and its brands; the MILO Help Give Shoes Campaign, which provided running shoes to children in need; the Limited Edition Centennial Cookbook, a collection of 100 recipes developed for the Filipino palate; and the Likhang Kasambuhay Painting Project in which Nestlé family members created artworks under the tutelage of artist Glen Blanco, which were then auctioned and the proceeds turned over to the Angono Council of Tradition, Culture and Arts.

The Grand Anvil Award marks the third time that the centennial celebration of Nestlé Philippines has been accorded the highest honors by a recognized award-giving body, the first being the ARAW Awards at the Advertising Congress in which NPI won the Advertiser of the Year Award with 13 Bronze, 10 Silver and 5 Gold ARAW Awards; the second at the PANATA Awards, the Philippine Association of National Advertisers’ values awards program where Nestlé garnered two Gold trophies and a total of 17 awards.

Since 1911, Nestlé has maintained a continuous local presence, while becoming an integral part of daily life in serving the food and beverage needs of Filipino families. Nestlé’s track record of doing business in the country and communicating with Filipinos has earned the company a high level of consumer trust, instrumental in propelling its growth. This consumer trust, anchored on the quality of the company’s brands and the role that these much-loved brands play in nurturing and nourishing Filipino families, inspired the centennial theme, Kasambuhay, Habambuhay.

Nestlé Wins Grand Anvil Award for Centennial Celebration

Nestlé Philippines, Inc. (NPI) has been awarded the Grand Anvil for the company’s 2011 celebration of 100 years in the Philippines with the theme, Kasambuhay, Habambuhay (Companion in Life, For Life). The Grand Anvil is the highest form of recognition for a PR program in the country.

The 47th Anvil Awards, an annual competition first held in 1963 by the Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP), drew a total of 283 entries in the PR program category, with 161 submitted to jurors and 21 winning the Anvil Award of Excellence.

“We are most grateful to the PRSP and the Anvil 2011 jurors for recognizing Nestlé Philippines’ efforts to celebrate our centennial by honoring Filipino consumers and reaffirming our bonds with them,” said Nestlé Philippines Chairman and CEO John Miller. “The Grand Anvil strengthens our resolve to pursue our mission of helping to nurture future generations of Filipino families, and contributing to the development of a strong and prosperous nation, in the next 100 years,” he added.

“In receiving the Grand Anvil we are humbled by the trust of Filipino consumers in Nestlé. They have made the company’s centennial possible,” Nestlé Philippines Director of Communications Sandra Puno said, “and the award gives us great inspiration in serving as their Kasambuhay, Habambuhay, in meeting their continuously evolving needs in nutrition, health and wellness.”

The celebration of Nestlé Philippines’ centennial started with the launch of its acclaimed centennial TV commercial, which paid tribute to the Filipino family through generations, with the company’s brands as a constant presence in everyday life. The second phase was the launch of the Nestlé Kasambuhay, Habambuhay Short Film Anthology, a 100-minute collection of 10 short films directed by the country’s top creative film directors who have also produced TV commercials for Nestlé. Inspired by so many stories of Nestlé brands as Kasambuhay to countless Filipinos, the highly entertaining films have been shown for free in local cinemas as well as free and cable TV.

The centennial celebration of Nestlé throughout 2011 included: an initiative at the start of the year by its sales force to build 100 tables and 200 benches for Gawad Kalinga, which set a new record for the largest carpentry lesson in the Guinness Book of World Records; the I Choose Wellness Expo 2011 which over two days drew 24,000 consumers who experienced Nestlé Wellness activities and its brands; the MILO Help Give Shoes Campaign, which provided running shoes to children in need; the Limited Edition Centennial Cookbook, a collection of 100 recipes developed for the Filipino palate; and the Likhang Kasambuhay Painting Project in which Nestlé family members created artworks under the tutelage of artist Glen Blanco, which were then auctioned and the proceeds turned over to the Angono Council of Tradition, Culture and Arts.

The Grand Anvil award marks the 3rd time that the 100 Years Celebration has been lauded with the highest honors by a prestigious award-giving body, the first being the ARAW Awards, which were handed out during the Advertising Congress where Nestlé Philippines won the Advertiser of the Year Award with 13 Bronze, 10 Silver and 5 Gold ARAW Awards; the second at the PANATA Awards, the Philippine Association of National Advertisers’ values awards where Nestlé was given two Gold trophies and 17 awards.

Since 1911, Nestlé has maintained a continuous local presence, while becoming an integral part of daily life in serving the food and beverage needs of Filipino families. Nestlé’s track record of doing business in the country and communicating with Filipinos has earned the company a high level of consumer trust, instrumental in propelling its growth. This consumer trust, anchored on the quality of the company’s brands and the role that these much-loved brands play in nurturing and nourishing Filipino families, inspired the centennial theme, Kasambuhay, Habambuhay.

Nestlé's chocolate hero

Source: Business Line

CHITRA NARAYANAN

R. SRINIVASAN

Nandu Nandkishore, who made Kit Kat a household name in India, is back with a bigger brief.

January 18, 2012:

A couple of years ago Nestlé chairman Peter Brabeck likened the century-old foods giant to a flotilla of small agile speedboats backed by a supertanker

Business Line Nandu Nandkishore, Executive Vice President

Nestlé S.A., Zone Director for Asia, Oceania, Africa and West Asia

The ‘supertanker' refers to the Swiss company's value system and immense financial resources — both controlled very firmly from its headquarters in Vevey. The ‘speedboats' are its operations in various countries.

One of those agile speedboats could well be piloted by Nandu Nandkishore, Nestlé's new Executive Vice-President and Zone Director for Asia, Oceania, Africa and Middle East (AOA).

Nandkishore, the first Indian to head a zone for Nestlé, rules over a gigantic fiefdom which caters to three quarters of the world's population. “But,” as he points out, “only 27 per cent of our revenues.”

Ramping up revenues to match market size would be one of the key challenges before Nandkishore, a 23-year Nestlé veteran.

How he tackles that will be keenly watched, not just by Nestlé, but corporates worldwide, who are increasingly picking Indians for key roles in global MNCs.

Last year, at around the time that Rakesh Kapoor was being named as global CEO of Reckitt Benckiser, the Swiss company announced that Nandkishore, a Tamilian born in Kumbakonam, would replace Nestlé veteran Frits van Dijk as director of the key AOA zone, which Nestlé regards as the engine of future growth for the company.

And, although currently Nandkishore might be pulling the strings from the company headquarters in Vevey, he is no stranger to this zone, having clocked in a number of years in senior positions in Indonesia, the Philippines, and, of course, India.

In fact, his sweet run in Nestlé was triggered by his successful launch of the company's chocolate range in India. “From 1989–1996, whatever we did right and wrong with the chocolate business, you can blame on me,” he grins. “And we did several of both,” he admits disarmingly.

The marketer who has tread the familiar IIT-Delhi, IIM-Ahmedabad path (but unlike his peers, refrained from going to the US), cut his sales teeth in Ponds in Chennai, selling Dreamflower Talc in the hot summer months, before moving to Delhi. Here, he further honed sales as well as his Hindi skills with a five-year stint at Godrej.

His Nestlé journey began in 1989, where as brand manager he was initially responsible for the milks business, launching Everyday Ghee. But it was the chocolate launch that marked him out.

In India last week to roll out the global Nescafe Plan in the coffee estates of Coorg, Nandkishore, who is a history buff (in his spare time he reads up on Mongol history and can tell you what was said in the Roman Senate about India), spent some time with BrandLine. Excerpts:

On starting the chocolate business in India

In 1989 when I began working on chocolates, Cadbury's was the market leader. We did not have a licence to put up a chocolate factory. So we tied up a co-manufacturer, Campco. In one year's time, we had rolled out nationally.

Two years later, Polo was launched with another co-manufacturer, Bakeman. And then we were fortunate enough to be granted a licence to manufacture Kit Kat, and set up a factory in Goa.

When I left in 1996, our chocolates business was already 15 per cent of the total Nestlé business in India, starting from zero. In 1993, Polo was ranked as the best brand launch and in 1995 the honour went to Kit Kat. This was the liberalisation period when foreign brands were coming in — we beat brands from Coca-Cola and P&G.

On working in different cultures

Fundamentally, I find people are very similar world over. You do have overlays of culture, but there are some interesting trends that are fairly global — the trend of what Thomas Friedman calls the Flat World; the trend of digitalisation; instant communication — Facebook, Twitter. Combine that with the bigger trend of demographic dividend in emerging markets such as India, Brazil and Mexico as opposed to ageing populations in markets such as Japan and Europe and it's a fascinating dynamic.

If you stay true to the fundamental human values of respecting people, you can work across markets.

On how a global company can be tuned to local needs

We believe that everything that the consumer sees, touches, feels, tastes has to be local. Almost everywhere, any country we have been in, Nestlé is seen as a local company but with a Swiss heritage. It's also been around for over a hundred years in most places. The length of stay makes a difference.

While business strategies are local, the core Nestlé management principles are common. It is made common by moving people around, so that the company's culture and values are very strong. One of the best kept secrets of Nestlé is the ability to develop leaders with cultural adaptability and the skill to evolve. We force ourselves to test our leaders in 3-4 different cultures, before we thrust them into an MD's position.

On the new leadership paradigm

Financial control is centralised, values are centralised, the functional custodian of quality is centralised, whereas business strategy is completely decentralised and empowered. It has moved from top down to be completely empowering, delegating without abdicating, of being a coach rather than a boss.

On the new health and wellness focus among food companies

Nestlé was the first to enunciate this strategy in 1998. If you look at the history of Nestlé, a lot of our business has been built on agriculture raw material processing.

There came a time when it was not sufficient to maintain growth and competitiveness. So there was a need to evolve our portfolio, to add R&D and science, put science to the agriculture base but more on nutrition and wellness. It's not a goal we will ever reach, but a journey.

On current challenges in India

The Nestlé business in India has been growing well. Yes, there are a lot of concerns on the projected slowdown in economic growth. But our view is that even six per cent GDP growth is good. From a long-term perspective, India is a great market to be in.

In the longer term, it makes sense to invest in India. Nestlé has invested $500 million in new capacity. We will probably invest more.

But the challenge in the short-to-medium term is investing enough in building physical capacity without going overboard — just managing to stay ahead of demand. The second is human resources and capabilities to manage that kind of growth.

We have every reason to believe that India will be among the top five Nestlé markets worldwide. Today it's not even among the top 10.

On India versus China

First, it is not India ‘versus' China. It is India ‘and' China. We are an ‘and' company. We are investing more in China. This year we announced two big acquisitions in China. China will soon be in the top five (Nestlé markets). Hopefully, in the next five years India will join China.

Nestlé Phils spends P5.4B on expansion projects this yr

 By Marianne V. Go (The Philippine Star) Updated November 30, 2011 12:00 AM

Tagum, Davao , Philippines — Nestle Philippines, Inc. (NPI) spent P5.4 billion for its operations in the country this year, the bulk of which was spent for its P4.8 billion Tanauan, Batangas Coffee-mate manufacturing plant, according to NPI executive vice president and finance and control director Daniel Aellen.

In an interview at its experimental development facility here, Aellen said NPI is spending P4.8 billion for the construction of its new Coffee-mate manufacturing plant in Tanauan, Batangas, while around P600 million was spent on other machinery and capacity upgrade of its other existing plants in Cabuyao, Laguna; Pulilan, Bulacan and Cagayan de Oro plant.

The Coffee-mate manufacturing plant in Tanauan, which will have a production capacity of 80,000 tons, will be ready for commissioning by the middle of next year.

Last year, Aellen said, NPI’s capital expenditure amounted to around P4 billion which was spent for upgrades of its various plants.

For 2012, NPI is still drawing up its budget, Aellen said, adding that the company is generally upbeat about continued growth for the company.

NPI’s local production includes Nescafe, Bear Brand, formula milk brands such as Nan, Nido powdered milk, as well as Nestle ice cream and yogurt, and powdered milk beverages such as Chuckie.

According to Edith de Leon, head of corporate affairs of NPI, the Coffee-mate plant is just phase 1 of NPI’s expansion plans in the 27-hectare Batangas property.

However, de Leon refused to reveal at this time, NPI’s investment plans for the phase two development of its Batangas plant. All the production of the Tanauan, Batangas plant, she said, is for the domestic market.

The Philipines, De Leon said, is only second to the US in the consumption of the Coffee-mate coffee creamer.

Initially, the Tanauan manufacturing plant, De Leon said, would only produce the original Coffee-mate creamer. She said there are plans in the pipeline to produce flavored creamer varieties.

Meanwhile, NPI continues to help the local coffee industry grow and improve the quality of its coffee beans, specifically the Robusta variety in Mindanao.

Through its experimental and demonstration farm in Tagum, Davao del Norte, NPI is producing quality coffee seedling which coffee farmers can buy to start their own coffee nursery or farm.

According to De Leon, NPI is currently purchasing only 25 percent of its current coffee bean requirement from Filipino farmers because there is simply not enough local production.

As such, NPI still has to import up to 75 percent of its raw coffee bean requirement.

Annual local demand for coffee beans, De Leon said, is estimated by NPI at 64,000 metric tons.

NPI is hoping that with aggressive efforts to revive the Philippine coffee industry, it will be able to reverse its source of raw coffee bean, buying up to 75 percent of its requirement from Filipino coffee growers by 2020.

According to the Department of Agriculture, the local coffee industry registered a negative two percent growth in 2010 and a negative seven percent in the first three quarters of this year.

Optimistically, though, the DA is hoping to post a positive turnaround and growth of five percent next year with an assistance of P163 million for various coffee-related projects.

NESTLÉ WINS ARAW ADVERTISER OF THE YEAR AWARD

Celebrating its centennial year, Nestlé Philippines, Inc. (NPI) recently received the Philippine advertising industry’s top honors, the ARAW Advertiser of the Year Award, which is given to the participating company with the most number of wins across all categories of the competition.

Held every two years, the ARAW Awards, which recognize advertising creativity and effectiveness, are the most coveted in the country. Regarded by many as the “Oscars” or the “Cannes Awards” of local creative competitions, the 2011 Araw Awards served as the culminating event of the recently held 22nd Philippine Advertising Congress at the CWC Convention Center in Camarines Sur.

In winning the Grand Award as Advertiser of the Year, Nestlé Philippines harvested a total of five Gold, ten Silver and 13 Bronze ARAW Awards, including Brand Advertisement wins.

The performance of Nestlé Philippines was boosted by its Kasambuhay, Habambuhay Centennial Anthology of ten short films, as well as its Centennial TV commercial and brand advertising campaigns which have been praised by consumers and industry observers alike.

“We’re deeply honoured to be recognized by the advertising industry as the ‘Advertiser of the Year’ during our year-long celebration of the Centennial of Nestlé Philippines,” said NPI Director of Communications Sandra Puno, “and this recognition of the value of our work is likewise a recognition of the excellent work of our directors, various creative talents in the industry, and partner agencies, Zenith Optimedia and Publicis Manila.

”Ms. Puno stressed that the company’s advertising efforts are inspired by consumers and their families, and that Nestlé strives to uphold positive social values that are indispensable to nation-building.

“The award is a great honour for Nestlé Philippines. Our mission is to continue to nurture future generations of Filipino families and to contribute to the development of a strong and prosperous nation. This is a mission we have pursued in the last 100 years. Our advertising is dedicated to supporting the accomplishment of that mission,” Nestlé Philippines Chairman & CEO John Miller said.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Source: BusinessWorld (November 14, 2011)

The BusinessWorld edition of Oct.31, 2011 carried a report headlined "Nestlé officials accused of price fixing", which we would like to address with your kind permission.

The report, which was apparently based on a resolution by the Quezon City Prosecutor's Office dated Aug.15,2011, said: "A city prosecutor's office has found probable cause to charge Nestlé Philippines, Inc. officials with price fixing after distributors complained that the local arm of the food giant required their prodcuts to be sold for a dictated cost."

Apparently, the reporter was not aware that in a subsequent resolution on the same matter dated Oct. 5, 2011, the Quezon City Prosecutor's Office dismissed compalints against officers of Nestlé Philippines, Inc. (NPI) for alleged predatory pricing in violation of Article 186 of the Revised Penal Code. The complaints were filed by Service Edge Distribution, Inc. (SEDI) and FDI Forefront II Trading (FDI), both former distributors of NPI.

In its resolution of Oct.5, the Quezon City Prosecutor's Office reversed its earlier resolution approving the filing of charges in the Quezon City Regional Trial Court. Subsequently, the Quezon City Prosecutor's Office also filed a motion to withdraw from the Quezon City Regional Trial Court all relevant charges on predatory pricing in connection with the case.

The OCt.5 resolution states, "... a cursory reading of the complainant's allegations would readily show that there is no crime commited as the vertical price restraint practice is freely accepted in this jurisdiction as a tool for commerce."

Similar criminal cases filed by the same parties with the Makati and Quezon City Prosecutor's Offices, and an administrative case at the Department of Trade and Industry, have already been dismissed.

We hope that our letter will be useful in providing readers with updated information and correcting any misunderstanding which may have arisen from the report.


Sincerely,

RUSSEL ANDAYA
Senior Vice-President, Head of Legal
Nestlé Philippines, Inc.

NESTLÉ OFFICIALS VISIT D.T.I.

Source: Manila Bulletin

Department of Trade and Industry Undersecretaries Cristino L Panlilio (3rd from left) and Zenaida Cuison Maglaya (2nd from left) welcome Mr. Doreswamy Nandu Nandkishore (3rd from right) former Nestlé Philippines, Inc., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer during his visit to the Board of Investments on October 14, 2011. Mr. Nandu was named to succeed Mr.Frits van Dijk as Nestlé S.A. Executive Vice President and Zone Director for Asia, Oceania, Africa, and the Middle East. The Philippines is part of his regional market visit to get updates on Nestlé operations here and to meet with public and private sector leaders. Also in photo (from left) are Anthony Low Regional Manager for Zone Asia, Oceania, Africa, and Middle East; John Martin Miller, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Nestlé Philippines; and Ms.Editha de Leon, Senior Vice President, Head of Corporate Affairs.