The 4 Cs of Dennis Perez: Chemistry, Culture, Cinema, and the Court

Not everyone is brave enough to try new things. But then again, Dennis Perez is not like everyone. 

A licensed chemical engineer from the University of the Philippines Diliman; a pro tennis player since childhood; a self-proclaimed science geek; a cinephile and an aspiring film director; a creative at heart; and a cultural marketing mastermind — yes, it’s clear he defies the status quo and is not afraid to dip his toes into unfamiliar territory.

But just as swiftly as he could rally in a game of tennis, Dennis is also quick to pick up new passions, and even quicker to exchange invaluable insights in his exclusive interview with adobo Magazine for his Creative Marketer feature.

Living the dream, doing the hustle

Dennis is a widely renowned and deeply respected player in the field of marketing. But his path was not laid out clearly in the beginning. During his sophomore year in college, he tossed between continuing his studies in chemical engineering and pursuing his love for film instead. 

“I went to the guidance office because I was reflecting on whether I will make a shift to masscom from engineering. And the first thing that the guidance counselor actually mentioned — she was shocked — she said: ‘You are the first student that entered this room [in] two months.’ No one actually goes there. But that shows my dilemma during that time,” he shared.

Setting aside his dream of being part of the movie industry, he finished his chemical engineering degree and eventually earned his license. He then found himself on the research and development team at Unilever as a formulator, where he spent his first five years at the company. Then, he made a deliberate move to the marketing department, where he is now Head of Marketing for the Philippines and Marketing Transformation Lead for Greater Asia in Beauty & Wellbeing. Through his current role, he gets a taste of the life he might have lived as a director.

“While I may not be creating my own Cinemalaya film — which I still hope that I will be able to do someday — I’m already doing a lot of content and marketing pieces that are also giving a lot of pleasant experiences or narratives around the brand to people. So, in a way, I’m also fulfilling my dream [with] what I’m doing right now. That’s why I love [being] here. I love being a marketeer,” he said. 

“It’s the best profession for me to balance science that I know by heart, but also fulfill my dream of being a film director, […] sharing a lot of emotional [but] also rational stories to people, and also affecting their lives. This is a very fulfilling profession that I really value, and that is something that will keep me moving forward.”

One campaign that stood out and allowed him to indulge in science and storytelling is “Vaseline Verified.” The social-first campaign took viral Vaseline hacks to the lab, and such hacks were tested by Unilever’s R&D experts. Hacks that worked were awarded the Vaseline Verified status, and the original inventors of the hacks received Vaseline Verified trophies and exclusive shoppable links on their social media platforms that earned them commission. The campaign extended to brand-created ads and boosted on social media, yielding a new line of products inspired by Vaseline beauty hacks, such as the Vaseline Originals All-In-One Primer & Highlighter Jelly and the Vaseline Originals Brow Tamer Jelly.

“The interesting [thing] about Vaseline hacks is that the content came first before the campaign idea, because we realized that there are so many people already creating content on how to use Vaseline in different ways,” he revealed. “When we saw that, we came to a point where [we thought], ‘This could be a very good campaign that’s [centered] on real consumer sentiment.’ […] And that gave growth for the brands, gave massive buzz and engagement, and I think that’s one of the most celebrated campaigns in Cannes last year.”

Silver linings

After a quarter of a century at Unilever, Dennis has accumulated plenty of tips, tricks, and lessons. Yet amid all that experience, one principle has stayed constant: the company’s belief in putting people first.

“When we talk about people, we usually talk about consumers [and] customers, and I think that’s very valuable from a business perspective. But as I grew in the company, one thing that I realized is that ‘people first’ could also mean ‘your team first,’” he explained.

“The meaning of putting people first suddenly [took] a different shape, and […] that hasn’t changed. That’s something that I still value as I continue my work in Unilever.”

For Dennis, that focus on putting people first also became a personal lesson: no man is an island.

“You cannot actually do things on your own,” he said matter-of-factly. “The skill of delivering through others is something that was really formative at the beginning of my career. When you handle multiple brands, global brands, you realize that it really takes a village to create a campaign. […] You need to deliver through others. You need to be able to bring out the best in your team, your agencies, the different partners that you work with. And that is a very valuable lesson that I took from Unilever, not just in work, but also personally.”

Walking down memory lane to the early days of his career at Unilever in 2001, he took note of the similarities between what the marketing scene was like then and how it is today. He observed that people still seek information and entertainment, but the manner in which they receive it has changed. 

“Before, everything was traditional: you have radio, TV, print, out-of-home. Now, there [are] more channels for them to immerse [themselves] into, experiences that they can actually join.”

He also noticed how brands formed stories to tell consumers. In the past, brands had total control of the narrative. They decided what they wanted people to see, hear, and know. But today, media is more fragmented, and there are myriad sources of information, from friends and peers to reviews on the internet. Relinquishing control is the new norm for marketers.

“We need to navigate that change where you don’t control the narrative for your brand. And I think that’s something that a CMO or someone who’s handling a brand must be able to learn in this new landscape of media and brand building,” he said.

As a licensed chemical engineer, Dennis started as a formulator at Unilever’s R&D department before moving to marketing, and eventually merged his love for science and stories.

Digging deeper into the heart of culture

With culture shifting at the speed of light, strategies for catching up need to adjust accordingly. Dennis recalls that in the past, it was necessary to visit at least ten houses a month to garner consumer insights. These days, however, he gets the pulse of customers from online conversations, made possible by the advent of content creation and smartphone use.

“It’s a simple screen that you can insert in your pocket, but it changed the way that we do things in marketing, whether it’s [for] brand intelligence, insight mining, content creation, and even content distribution. I would say that’s the most influential invention that happened in the last two decades.”

This constant need to modify marketing strategies to align with the ever-changing landscape of culture has led Dennis to the discovery of culture-led marketing — a subject he is most passionate about and has done extensive research on.

“A lot of people think that culture-led marketing is all about being on top of trends, making sure that you know what’s happening on social media […]. That’s not wrong, but it’s scratching the surface,” he said. “For brands to appear innately or organically in culture, you need to go deeper than what is trending. You need to understand the underlying current on why people behave in culture, within their communities, and within their social feed.”

Building on the idea of looking beyond passing trends to understand consumer behavior and culture at a deeper level, Dennis points to a growing shift among marketers: learning to relinquish control.

“A lot of brands have that brand book. [But] we need to put that on the side. […] The theme of marketing right now is about losing control. We’re moving from having strict brand books to now having brand guardrails, which we now call cultural positioning. It’s defining who you are when it comes to culture. How do you want to show up, and why would people care enough to share it?”

Branding has always been important to Dennis, but, according to him, how it is expressed has drastically changed.

“We need to express that within the voice of people who are carrying that message for us — be it a creator, an affiliate, or a normal person who just wants to review our products. And I think what is important is consistency in how we show up in culture versus consistency in how the brand looks,” he added.

In exploring the topic of allowing content creators and regular consumers to tell a brand’s story, Dennis introduced the idea of having a social-first mindset that also supports understanding people’s cultures. Rather than believing a social-first marketing system solely revolves around social media, he dug into the simple truth behind it: social-first is human-centric, simply because humans are highly social beings.

“Even before social media came out, we usually gathered around the bonfire to tell stories,” he said. “Social-first is all about understanding how people form communities, how people connect organically, and allowing your brand to innately be part of those conversations happening in those communities.”

When asked if he thinks this consumer behavior and social-first mindset will change in the future, Dennis confidently answered with a resounding “no,” adding, “It’s been there even before the advent of technology.”

But he also shared that he sees social-first moving towards more authentic conversations, from real-life interactions and honest reviews.

“Advertising will still be there, but it will take a very different form. There will be more UGCs (user-generated content). More human, authentic, organic content coming out.”

“Those reviews [like] your mom posting about [a product], or your friend casually mentioning, ‘Hey, I’ve tried this skincare product; it works,’ will become weightier when it comes to the influence on your brand choices and your purchases.”

A collection of hobbies

The moment he—albeit temporarily—sheds his lab coat and marketing hat, Dennis naturally indulges in his hobbies. Between his busy day-to-day at work, you can find him in exactly three places: the coffee shop, the cinema, and the tennis court. 

He’s known to have a discerning taste for coffee, and you’d usually find him around Makati, where he tries out different cafes and drinks. He also frequents cinemas and has never missed a year of Cinemalaya in 20 years. He can even recommend good movies to watch if you’re on the lookout. 

But above all, he’s passionate about tennis — a love he shares with his whole family. As a kid, he played competitively in school and was also part of the junior national team. In fact, his parents also met through tennis: they bumped into each other while buying gear in a mall. 

“That’s why tennis is so important in our family. Everyone plays!”

Walking on the brighter side

The minute he walked inside the studio and throughout his interview, Dennis brought warmth and light to the space. This was reaffirmed when he candidly shared how he likes to bring sunshine wherever he goes, and that he just has a natural inclination to be positive.

He beamed before saying, “I’ve always been an optimist. I always try to look at things positively. That’s basically my philosophy in life. I have reflected on my personal purpose, and I can summarize it in a line: making tomorrow happen today. I always look at tomorrow positively, and try to bring that forward. And I think that transcends how I see work. […] It’s always about being positive and always having that commitment to bring a brighter tomorrow today.”

Talking about optimism reminded Dennis of a heartwarming encounter with a young girl from Cebu during a field visit to consumers. The girl, affected by the flooding in Cebu, openly spoke about how she had been stressed by her situation. Every time she took a shower, however, she seized that as a moment to pause, enjoy life, and steal time for herself. 

This sense of sanguinity from the young girl lit a fire within Dennis: “I know it’s all in the line of work, but that also gave me a very good reflection that sometimes, simple luxuries matter the most. Sometimes, we look at life with a privileged gaze, and we miss those little moments. And this girl […], who is going through a lot [but] can still see positivity in a simple moment like a shower, keeps me moving. It shows that our work is not just about selling commodities, shampoo, soaps, or laundry products. We are touching lives. And if we can provide a bit of joy to them, even that simple moment of taking a shower, it inspires me because our work positively impacts people’s lives, and that makes my work really valuable.”

A true optimist, Dennis radiates positivity and spreads sunshine wherever he goes.

Dennis the brave

With more accomplishments than one can fit in a lifetime, and over two decades of marketing know-how, there is only one thing Dennis wants to be remembered for. It’s neither a campaign, nor a brand he worked on.

It is—simply but pointedly—recognized as someone who is brave enough to be the first to try new things.

“In Unilever, part of our culture, part of our DNA, we’re kind of experimental. I’m not claiming that everything that we’re doing will work. Some may fail,” Dennis admitted. “Some, we’ll realize that maybe it was the wrong decision. But at least, I would like to be known as the first person to try it, and was brave enough to try it.”

He shared that he thinks we need thought leaders in the industry who will encourage people to be brave, to try things out and not be scared. And that’s the legacy he wants to leave.

“I would like to be known as the person [who] is not always right, but is the first to try.”

Dennis says he still hopes to fulfill his dream of directing a movie someday. And for someone who likes to bring light into others’ lives and smiles to people’s faces, his choice of genre is, quite literally, shocking:

“If I’m going to create a movie, I would choose horror because I think it’s the only genre where you see the instant reaction of people — whether they like it or not, whether they really get scared or not, or [whether] they just laugh in scenes that’s supposed to scare [them]. I think that instant feedback of whether you got it or you didn’t is actually something that’s both challenging but also rewarding for a filmmaker. Hopefully, I’ll be able to do a horror [movie] someday.”

_{A man of bravery, wit, light, and aspiration, we can only expect bigger things from Dennis’ future — maybe starting with his first stint as a director of a horror film.}

Creative and Editorial Direction: Jill Tan Radovan
Art Direction: Dea Sangco
Interview and Story: Stephanie Ferrer
Styling: Rad Esguerrra
Video: Mark Jardinel
Photography: Ans Batan

The post The 4 Cs of Dennis Perez: Chemistry, Culture, Cinema, and the Court appeared first on adobo Magazine Online.