One of the Councils of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) will soon benefit from the strategic marketing communications approach brought by the practice of integrated marketing communications (IMC).
Regional partners and technical staff members of the DOST-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD) were recently capacitated with knowledge and skills on how to promote research-based technologies and innovations, products, and services using the IMC approach.
Held from May 21 to 23, 2025 in Baguio City, the training, “Mainstreaming Science 2: Creating Relatable IMC Campaign for Your Agri-Aqua Innovations,” capacitated 52 staff members from the Council’s technical research divisions and the science communicators from the 14 regional consortia. The training was organized by the Applied Communication Division (ACD) of DOST-PCAARRD.
Dr. Nelson B. Guillen Jr., a marketing expert and faculty member of the De La Salle University’s Marketing and Advertising department under the Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business served as the main resource person of the training.
Separate lectures from ACD’s experts were also conducted to contextualize the IMC concepts applied in DOST-PCAARRD’s science communication campaigns:
- Mr. Joel Eneristo A. Joven shared PCAARRD’s IMC framework and the importance of unified messaging among various S&T project and promotion activities;
- Mr. Gian Carlo D. Camacho imparted best practices in using social media as a platform to reach a wider audience build online engagement;
- Ms. Rose Anne M. Aya elaborated on the application of IMC in the IMC campaign she developed for Cavite State University’s Don Severino’s Aguinaldo Blend Coffee, and
- Dr. Paul Jersey G. Leron on crafting IMC-based project proposals through the Farms and Industry Encounters through the Science and Technology Agenda (FIESTA™), and other emerging S&T promotion platforms.
Tools and techniques in IMC campaign development were discussed, specifically developing a creative brief, employing urgency marketing techniques, and applying Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) framing.
Following the lecture sessions, participants were grouped based on the client types and audience segments being catered to by DOST-PCAARRD.
A session on “IMC-fying” FIESTA™ was also conducted, where select regional consortia that have conducted cluster FIESTAs during the post-pandemic shared their experiences and best practices. FIESTA™ or Farms and Industry Encounters through the Science and Technology Agenda is DOST-PCAARRD’s technology promotion platform for mature agri-aqua technologies that could lead to technology transfer through commercialization or extension. Technologies that are ready for commercialization are pitched to private investors and MSMEs, while public good technologies are shared to potential adopters such as farmers, fisherfolk, entrepreneurs, and others through exhibitions, demo, and fora.
Ms. Ellen Joy Brillo of CLAARRDEC and Ms. Jylyn Cornelio of WESVARRDEC shared their experiences in planning and implementing the Vegetable and Native Chicken FIESTAs on a hybrid setup - a mix of activities held online and face-to-face.
“There’s still a relatively vast area of IMC practices and approaches that we can learn and explore in promoting the various research and development (R&D) results – ranging from products and tools, technologies, innovations, services, and know-how. In this training, we hope to equip our participants with the knowledge and skills in developing IMC campaigns suitable for their respective agri-aqua products and technologies,” said Ms. Marita A. Carlos, ACD Director.
The training was designed for non-marketing professionals to gain knowledge on industry practices in creating cohesive marketing content across platforms. The training also strengthened the participants’ proficiency in crafting campaign strategies that are tailored to the needs and interests of the target audience.