TODAY, you see Manny Pacquiao’s face and form everywhere. Almost just as much as Kris Aquino’s.
Like Kris, Manny is starting to build a huge fortune on product endorsements although, at this point, it’s hard to tell who between the two is ahead in terms of revenue generated.
Admittedly, Kris is still the more visible. But that’s probably because she’s a woman with the face and the curves that are pleasant to the eye. I see more posters and billboards of Kris than I do of Manny.
However, I’m told by friends from advertising that Manny is starting to collect more revenue from ads than Kris. They say he is now more in demand than the quiz show host and can command a bigger talent fee because his market includes the rich and poor, young and old, male and female.
“Across the board,” as marketing men would put it.
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Out of curiosity, I tried to look for someone who could provide me a complete list of the products Kris is endorsing.
Since I couldn’t find this person, I tried to recall the contents of the gift basket she gave media last Christmas, and her print and television commercials.
I can’t remember the other cosmetics in the gift box, but I do recall the Kissa soap, the cans of San Miguel Beer and Purefoods Chunkee corned beef. I was looking for a Smart cellphone but there was none.
A fellow scribe who plies the route from Hagonoy, Bulacan to the Araneta Coliseum said Kris has much, much more product endorsements on outdoor billboards like Bench where she is portrayed seating atop husband James Yap. The scribe also vaguely remembers seeing Kris’ bag and tile ads along Edsa, but doesn’t remember the brand, which means it is not as effective as her other products which has stronger recall.
Kris and Manny are both endorsing San Miguel Beer and Smart, two of the biggest advertisers in the country. The two are together in a new San Miguel Beer commercial.
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For Manny, I found just the right guy who could give me a complete list of his endorsements.
“Magnolia, McDonald’s, Alaxan, Circulan, Darlington socks, Dolly Tuna, Smart, ML Kuwarta-Padala, Extreme Magic Sing, No Fear and MP Apparel (Manny Pacquiao),” recited Manny’s marketing man Reli de Leon.
The total number is 11 and still growing, according to Reli.
I tried to get some numbers from him, but Reli is scared of the BIR.
Even Orville Roque and Heny Fabian, co-owners of The Astra Group, distributor of Extreme Magic Sing (handheld videoke microphone) would not reveal the amount they paid Pacman for a television ad that would run for 12 months.
“Maliit lang, nowhere near the talent fee San Miguel and Smart gave him,” they said, explaining that Manny is an old friend.
Orville and Heny could also be scared of the BIR.
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Yayoy Alcoseba, Cebu City councilor and Kwarta Padala coach, was just as mum on numbers as the others. Yayoy arrived in Manila last Thursday to oversee the production of the Michel Lhuillier Kwarta Padala television commercial, starring Pacman.
More importantly though, Yayoy is here to promote the Mindanao-Visayas Basketball Association (MVBA) which is being sponsored by Michel Lhuillier.
Yayoy said there are 10 teams in the MVBA, all of them former members of the NBC.
“But coming to Manila for the NBC games has become too costly for the Mindanao and Visayas teams, that’s why we decided to form the MVBA where the games will be played in our turf. Naka-save na kami considerably, marami pang nanonood. In Manila, nobody ever watches our games which are played in practice venues,” Yayoy said.
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In a press statement he issued yesterday, Basketball Association of the Philippines president Joey Lina said he would continue knocking on the Philippine Olympic Committee door for reinstatement “until my knuckles hurt.”
Frankly, I don’t think that door will open even if Joey’s knuckles eventually chip off. What will he do if it stays shut?
“I’ll cross the bridge when I get there. The Holy Week is approaching, I will pray for enlightenment on the best course of action,” Joey said.
In case he needs my help, I have a hotline to Papa Doc Duvalier.
