This senior marketing and communications executive had an extensive opportunity to handle global brands—such as MTV, Cartoon Network, and Nickelodeon—across the Asia Pacific region for the last 20 years. In this exclusive interview with PeopleAsia, Omar Gepiga shares his nugget of wisdom on what it takes to stay on top of his game.
In 1993, Omar Gepiga started as a public relations assistant with the then exclusive Apple computer distributor in the Philippines — Distributed Processing Systems, Inc. (DPSI).
“Apple was nascent in the country, and that was where I got my chops and passion for positioning, forming value propositions, storytelling, and relishing the power of a good narrative,” Omar looks back.
With DPSI, Omar handled the primary PR tool, which was the MacQuareterly magazine. The first issue he ran was recognized by the Philippines’ Public Relations Society as Best Trade Publication at the Anvil Awards. “I also built DPSI’s company customer database, organized events, led media outreach, launched the co-branded DPSI Visa credit card, and represented the company with the industry organization, COMDDAP,” he reminisces.
In 2000, Omar began his regional career after being headhunted by John Clements for the director of public relations role with Turner Entertainment Networks Asia. “I moved to Hong Kong in November that year managing priority markets Australia, India, Taiwan and the Philippines, secondary markets Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and South Korea,” he shares.
For Omar, consuming a lot of content is good for keeping himself updated with the current events and trends. He would spend hours in front of the television just glued to all the stories being told, enjoying performances, and being informed by the news.
“It is important that one equips oneself with information. Aside from doing work, I read a lot during the day including news, perspectives, pop culture, and data analysis, among others. These help in forming ideas, action points, improvements to strategy, tactics and work that has to be done,” Omar reiterates.
“The career I’ve had in the industry has given me the great opportunity to manage the world’s biggest entertainment brands, learn best practices and work across multiple markets in the Asia Pacific, collaborate in multicultural environments, appreciate the perspectives of colleagues and partners of different nationalities, and all at the same time bringing all the positive traits of being Filipino,” Omar shares.
Most recently, Omar was the head of content marketing for HOOQ, a streaming platform that was a joint venture of Singtel, Sony, and Warner Bros.
When asked what piece of advice Omar can give for those who dream of pursuing the same path as his, he highlights that being genuinely interested and curious about pop culture and human nature has helped him in the work that he has done.
“Immerse yourself in the markets you are handling and learn as much as you can. Equip yourself with information, whether it be insights, news, or data. These will help you do better in forming strategies and tactical approaches. It is equally important, as a professional, to have a solid network of contacts. Cultivate and nourish these relationships,” Omar continues. “It is not really important to start with big brands. Take up the challenge, as I have, to build from the ground up or rebuild brands as this will test your way of thinking and let your creative juices flow.”
