Brands I thought were dead, but are alive and kickin' it in the Philippines (and in other SEA countries):
1) Kenny Roger's Roasters!
I thought this brand was relegated to New Jersey Turnpike rest stops only, but it is alive and kickin' in the Philippines with stand-alone stores, online delivery services in the Manila area, and some special offerings geared specifically to the Filipino palate. Kenny himself must be pretty proud.
FILA has struggled to maintain a mass audience presence in the USA and they haven't seen real mainstream success since their Grant Hill shoes in the early '90s. Beyond the professional tennis scene, FILA is seen by most as low-end and a bit clunky, no matter how hard the brand tries to beef up its Italian heritage. I won't try to claim that its Italian-ness is seen or appreciated here in the Philippines, but its low-cost nature certainly is! FILA has stand-alone stores in nearly all the local malls and its not a brand to shy away from here.
I'm not exactly sure where Wrangler stands in the USA since the Brett Favre promotions, but I'm pretty sure it's overshadowed by the high-end jean brands and even by Levi. Not here. Wrangler is EVERYWHERE and is the #1 jean brand in department stores and there are pop-up shops in the middle of mall walkways. It does not carry the stigma of the "blue collar, working man's jeans" here but instead it's seen as a stylish and modern brand. There is even a Facebook page JUST for Wrangler in the Philippines: https://www.facebook.com/wranglerphil promoting its tagline "find your edge" and featuring a picture from Philippines Esquire of Daniel Craig wearing a Wrangler jean jacket - nice.
Similar to Kenny Roger's Roasters, Mossimo in the USA has been relegated to the sidelines...in this case it's Target stores and not the NJ Turnpike. But not so in the Philippines. Mossimo here is a resource for sexy and funky clothes for men and women that is THE HOT store to go shopping in with standalone stores in all malls (sometimes with 2 stores in the larger malls). It is nothing to turn your nose up at here in this country and their sexy print ads support that.
Brands that are also kickin' it in the USA, but I can't believe how much presence they have here:
Growing up in my hometown of Poughkeepsie, New York, 7-11 was THE PLACE TO BE - not only to buy Slurpees, sodas, chips and sweets, and to get gas, but also to see everyone you wanted (or didn't want) to see in the City. It was a hang-out spot and I sort of thought it was the only 7-11 in the world. But in SE Asia, 7-11 is EVERYWHERE: Thailand, Laos, Singapore, Philippines and more. They are proud to say they have 47,600 stores in 16 countries and only 9,375 (~20%) are in the USA. Not all of them offer Slurpees, although they do exist, but they all sell an awesome medley of goodies you want - including ready-to-eat food - and some are even paired with gas stations as well. A surprising sight to see, and makes me feel not so far away from home. Their website has a fun fact page I encourage you to check out if you're a 7-11 fan where you can learn that 7-11 was the first convenient store to ever offer brewed coffee in to-go cups and more! http://corp.7-eleven.com/AboutUs/FunFacts/tabid/77/Default.aspx
There are about 3 or 4 major local doughnut companies here in the Philippines, which is why I was surprised to see Dunkin' Donuts as one of the competitors. But there are more Dunkin' D's here than there are in the city of Boston!! And it all tastes just as good as it does back home - the only differences are they don't offer bagels or muffins and they've added in some sandwiches geared towards the Philippines market, and possibly they've pushed the indulgence envelope a bit more here since the health kick hasn't quite flooded these markets yet. But watch out Dunkin' D! Krispy Kreme is making its way on the scene as well (can you believe it!!!)
I salute these brand for exploring other markets, especially those that saw their sales or their brand images start to fade in the USA and found ways to reinvent themselves in other markets that did not have past baggage or stigma with the brand. In fact, many of them have benefited in SE Asia simply because they ARE American brands. And I'm truly amazed at some of the brands that are actually global, yet we don't tend to view them that way. Good for them for finding lifelines beyond their home borders, and good for those who have found second lives in other countries instead of trying to (and likely failing to) reinvent themselves at home (MUCH harder to do). Although I salute your efforts and appreciate that your franchising is providing job opportunities for people of other cultures, I do plead that you don't use your vast resources to put the local brands and businesses out of business. But that's just my 2 cents.
