Bloomberg takes on AlDub’s influence on markets

The phenomenal loveteam of Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza a.k.a. Yaya Dub is undeniably one of the hottest pairings in the Philippine entertainment industry nowadays.

But after a show in the world’s largest indoor arena sold out 55,000 tickets in less than three days, and with a Twitter record of 41 million tweets with its hashtag in one day, AlDub has also caught global attention in both the mainstream and social media.

After the British Broadcasting Company dubbed them as a ‘social media phenomenon,’ international business news platform Bloomberg discussed how the unassuming and ‘bizarre’ Philippine show is affecting sales in different markets.

A bizarre Philippine show is smashing Twitter records https://t.co/4OVP25fWsR #AlDub pic.twitter.com/N7CFf0AdFX

— Bloomberg Business (@business) October 29, 2015

"The 'AlDub' phenomenon, (and) how it's becoming a mega hit on social media and how it's becoming a gold mine for anyone associated with it," read the blurb of the Bloomberg story.

In the article, Ehden Llave Pelaez, social media manager at iSentia Brandtology, described AlDub and the Kalyeserye segment from Philippines’ longest-running noontime show ‘Eat Bulaga’ as a brand new type of the typical Cinderella love story.

Pelaez said its appeal came from how it responded to the audience.

“Another nice thing, which is probably where social media comes in, is they get to listen to their fans. They story follows what the fans wanted to see. It's an open-ended series,” Pelaez said.

After only months of charming the Filipino audience, AlDub already starred in different commercials for a wide variety of brands, such as fast food, household cleaning agent, a telecommunications company, adult milk brand, cellphone brand, and many more.

Vice President for Marketing Communications at Golden Arches Development Corporation Margot Torres confirmed that the sales of McDonald’s grew significantly following the release of the #ALDUBkoto TV commercial.

"Our  growth is measured based on same-store sales and transactions. If we use the period when we sold Minions (which was a good month) as a base index of 100 and compare the same-store transactions growth figure with the period 3 weeks after we launched our chicken fillet a la king and the AlDub campaign, the figure is 470 versus base index," Torres told GMA News Online.

"This is a nationwide number,” she added.

"Needless to say, the launch of our Chicken Fillet a la King product with the AlDub campaign has positively impacted our business and sales for Chicken Fillet a la King have well exceeded its target," Torres said.

Within 24 hours of posting on September 11, the AlDub TVC was viewed 1.5 million times on the fast food chain’s Facebook page.

According to Pelaez, this remarkable increase in business is brought by the fact that the ‘AlDub phenomenon’ is not restricted to a particular class or industry.

Aside from being talked about in five out of seven continents, the love team’s reach also cuts across different markets because of their wide audience reach assisted not only by television but more importantly, by social media.

“They are cutting across different industries and segments. Beyond McDonald's and Talk N' Text, they have household cleansers and other upcoming TVCs,” Pelaez said.

“Using these people as effective product ambassadors proves that their fanbase also cuts across different markets. So, you're touching different consumers, and it doesn't matter what industry you're in. You are able to connect to different kinds of audience," she added. —Bianca Rose Dabu/NB, GMA News