Apple Philippines Country Manager Charlie Tang is widely credited with having turned around Apple Philippines from a “bit player” a couple of years ago into a “major” player in the desktop computer market today, according to a Manila Times article.
In an interview with the publication, Tang — who joined Apple in 2000 — attributed the revitalization of Apple in the Philippines to the company pulling together as a team, with good marketing programs and a strong distribution and reseller structure.
“In terms of market size, the Singapore market is still the biggest compared to other Asian countries, but each of the countries have been given a target and goal on a yearly and a quarterly basis,” Tang told the Times. “And just to give you a rough idea on how we’re doing on the Asian level, last quarter the Philippines was awarded as ‘Country of the Quarter’ so we overachieved the target that was given to us.”
Other areas haven’t fared as well as the Philippines, he said. And despite the worldwide repercussions from September 11, 2001, the company has steadily moved systems, Tang said. He told the Times that Apple still relies on its long-time fans to generates sales, however, in the past two years, the company is garnering many new users. Tang feels the “Switch” campaign has been “highly successful.” In fact, Apple Philippines has opened two new Apple Centers — one in SM Megamall and another in Greenbelt. A third is planned for SM City.
Though Apple Centers have been growing at a “very substantial percentage year after year,” Tang told the Times that for the past year and a half, Apple Philippines has garnered many PC resellers to carry Apple products in Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao and Baguio.
“They have been contributing a lot to the revenues of Apple Philippines,” he added.
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