Ideas Worth Spreading: Examining The Localization of Metro Manila TEDx Events

Abstract

TED, an annual conference, designed TEDx- a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. However, aside from branding guidelines, TED does not provide a framework to TEDx organizers on how to locally adapt the global platform: a problem for organizers, as TEDx events are ideally to be done in the context of the community it is held in. To identify which of the marketing mix factors Product, Promotion, and Physical Evidence from the Marketing Mix Theory has the most potential for localizing a TEDx event, this study has drawn from the cultural perspective of marketing, along with actual cases of TEDx events mounted in Metro Manila, Philippines and cultural themes in Filipino psychology for analysis. It is determined that among Product, Promotion, and Physical Evidence, Product, being the TEDx talks, has the most potential to localize a TEDx event. As the aforementioned P’s can all be used to drive localization, action steps have been recommended and are segmented accordingly to cultural marketing variables aesthetics, language, and values and attitudes, in relation to each of the Marketing Mix factors. Through findings and consequent action steps, it is realized that context, specifically in imagery and content, plays a crucial role in the localization of TEDx events.