Bran Reluao has long made his way in digital politics, surpassing the entrants of the same league
When it comes to talent, it’s no surprise that Filipinos have since conquered the international stage. Be it in singing, dancing, or acting, we know for sure that there’s no shortage of incredible, world-renowned skills in the country and that there is at least one Filipino that makes them worthy of such a recognition. “It’s the Filipino pride,” we all proudly say. At the turn of the decade, youngbloods continue to make their way into the scene—not only in the performance arts, but also in the new era of digitization and technology.
For Bran Reluao, the dream is to bring homegrown talent in digital media and marketing into the global spotlight, to which we can claim that Filipinos excel in more than one field. “We don’t have [an internationally acclaimed] Filipino digital strategist just yet,” says the Authority Asia CEO. “I’m not saying I’ll be the first, but maybe I’m in the process of becoming one.”
Having settled in the grounds of politics
Bran’s knowledge of the ins and outs of the virtual communities in social media became an avenue for the strategist to turn the digital space into an enterprise. From scratch, he was able to build the consulting firm BranReluao & Associates and the digital marketing agency Authority Asia, and found his niche in the political landscape.
His venture into digital marketing in politics, however, wasn’t an overnight success. “I’ve pitched to a lot of traditional politicians, but they believed that there’s only one way to properly campaign, [that is, going out into the streets and talking to voters from one house to another].” Not everybody understood the start-up founder’s vision—at least not until the pandemic hit the fan and the social media exploded.
Bran eventually got a kickstart in the industry when a Vice Governor became in touch with him for promoting a province’s tourism. With his expertise in the digital media and community management, alongside his array of networks, Bran and his client were able to succeed in their campaign. The province’s tourism activity rose by 70%, garnering the moniker “hidden gem” from the mainstream media.
Taking the vision to the valley of dreams
From then on, Bran has since provided reputation management, crisis management, brand building, and public relations services to a number of political personalities with Authority Asia. “[We] use social media platforms to create an awareness that will help them get votes, or at least introduce them to their target voters, using data-driven tools,” the CEO discloses. “We currently don’t have those tools in the Philippines. You could only acquire [them] in the United States and Singapore.”
It is for this reason that Bran Reluao wanted to take the business’ operations overseas. “I want to acquire more technology, more tools… I want to partner with other start-up companies that offer different cultures, and brilliant minds who are excited to create things. I want to make [Authority Asia] global,” he notes.
Being the next big thing
An Asian himself, Bran wanted to take his first business pivot in Southeast Asia’s Silicon Valley. “If you want to be more advanced and acquire more technology, Singapore is the best place to go,” Bran tells LifestyleAsia. True enough, with ample government support and close proximity to other Southeast Asian neighbors, the location is most favourable for digital startups.
As of this writing, Bran has already built an annex office for Authority Asia in Singapore, while his plans on expanding to the big city of New York are underway—not to be of service to the Singaporean and American market, but rather to be of greater asset to the Filipinos. “It’s not about executing digital political strategies for foreign prospective clients,” he clarifies. “It’s about wanting to learn.”
“Expanding in these countries will equip me to create more, and rather stay relevant beyond the election season… I want to put forward campaigns regarding [proper] legislations and socio-civic movements, to encourage active political participation… Because everything is political,” Bran further emphasizes.
Authority Asia is a homegrown digital political agency. For more information, visit their website or Instagram. Don’t forget to give CEO Bran Reluao a follow on social media.