Philip Tiongson joins Havas Ortega as Director for Data and Analytics

Havas Media Ortega beefs up its executive team this 2016 with Philip Tiongson filling in a new role as Director for Data and Analytics. Tiongson brings with him 20 years of experience in strategic planning, data analytics and media across some noteworthy agencies.Tiongson’s expertise in data and analytics began in 2009 with IPG Mediabrands where, as its Director for Analytics in APAC, he laid the business foundation for the Mediabrands Analytics business in Asia Pacific. During this stint, he also improved clients’ returns on media and communications investments through analytics and management sciences, employing advanced techniques in statistics and analytics. He moved to Mediacom in 2010 where he managed P&G’s brand portfolio in the Philippines. He also progressed to overseeing the development of econometrics-based decision models for P&G across Asia for deployment in business and marketing accountability marketing planning. He was most recently with McCann Worldgroup and MRM as their Vice President and Head of Performance Optimization and Analytics—a pioneering move for both Tiongson and the agencies as this was the first ever role of its kind in the country.From 1995, with earlier stints at the former Basic Advertising, Ogilvy & Mather, McCann Erickson, Zenith Optimedia, Universal McCann and even Microsoft, Tiongson has been learning how to use data so that its results and analyses can bring value to both clients and consumers. While the field of data science may be fairly new to the Philippines, its implications are tremendous if used in the right way. “Data is misunderstood,” Tiongson reveals. “Many companies think as long as they can gather the data, they’re fine. But the work actually happens after. It’s in looking at the data, making meaning from it, reading it so that it’s relevant and tells what we need to know.”Tiongson is enthusiastic about joining Havas Ortega. “I think Havas Ortega is on the right track. Even if some agencies are getting into the discipline of data, our edge will not be that it’s just another checkpoint. Data for us will be a whole discipline in and of itself and we will begin investing a considerable amount of our resources into building it,” Tiongson adds.Havas Ortega’s Chairman and CEO, Jos Ortega agrees, “Imagine a marketing partnership where Havas Ortega, as the marketing communications agency partner, creates the briefs for the brand’s next campaigns, based on the data, analysis, insights and new decision-making models from the previous programs. This will be an evolution of the current industry practice where the agencies wait for the client briefs for the next project. Philip will play a critical role in making this happen. Integration with the client’s marketing planning process is our next objective.”Ortega explains that full integration of agency services is the top priority for the agency. He adds that this single-minded pursuit is probably one of the primary reasons why RECMA gave Havas Ortega the #1 ranking in its latest survey.Along with Havas Ortega’s Managing Partners, Hermie de Leon and Tony Sarmiento, Tiongson is warmly welcomed and celebrated as a new addition to their senior management team of industry veterans and icons in their field.Tiongson is set to lead his own team of media analytics experts, with plans to add to the team within the year as well. His team will be servicing brands across the many different Havas specialties, moving one step closer to true integration.