Zac: Hello, Manila!

MANILA, Philippines - There is much to celebrate this month: Zac Efron, who at one time was Hollywood’s highest paid teenage actor during his High School Musical days, is coming to Manila.

After getting his big break as Troy Bolton in the High School Musical trilogy, Zac is confirmed to visit Manila for the annual PENSHOPPE Fan Conference 2012, the clothing brand’s biggest event in its 26 years of presence in the local retail industry. The 24-year-old global superstar is currently the most recognizable name in the brand’s PENSHOPPE All Stars campaign launched this year. He will be seen live at the Mall of Asia Arena stadium on Sept. 29. Gates open at 6 p.m.

In recent years, Zac continues to add impressive movie roles under his belt, with each project getting more challenging each time. Since his early days doing musical flicks, he has crossed over to light romantic comedies (17 Again, New Year’s Day), to more dramatic and mature roles (Charlie St. Cloud and The Lucky One). More recently, he starred alongside heavyweights Matthew McConaughey, John Cusack and Nicole Kidman in the period drama The Paperboy, and was recently at the Toronto International Film Festival for the film At Any Price with Dennis Quaid.

His career portfolio is proof that he is easily one of the most in-demand stars in Hollywood today. Clearly, Zac is on top of his game and will certainly stay in the limelight for years to come.

PENSHOPPE starring Zac Efron, incidentally, scores the unparalleled record of being the biggest celebrity endorsement in the Philippines (to date). At present the brand showing no signs of stopping, effectively boosting their staying power and branding awareness both locally and internationally.

When asked about his thoughts on his first-ever clothing endorsement, Zac shares, “I think the brand is cool and casual. You see, I am a very casual dresser so this partnership fits me perfectly.” He adds that the brand’s philosophy — by Filipinos, for Filipinos — is what attracted him to say yes.

“My father has been to the Philippines several times,” shares Efron, “so I’ve always wanted to visit and try the local dishes like adobo.”

The star shows sincere excitement with the prospect of visiting the country for the first time. “Well, first of all this (event) is an amazing, amazing excuse to go to the Philippines. I have always wanted to visit the Philippines. My dad has been telling me great stories about it,” he shares.

Since PENSHOPPE made the announcement public, the entire country has been buzzing with anticipation about his arrival. Billboards of the event have been plastered all over the metro, as well as in every media outfit in the country. Of course, the excitement is most palpable among Zac’s diehard fans, causing quite a stir in the different social networking sites, with everyone eager to finally see their favorite heartthrob in person.

To get tickets, shop at any participating PENSHOPPE stores listed in their official mechanics. For every single receipt purchase worth P800, you get a General Admission pass. For P1,200, an Upper Box pass; P2,500 for Lower Box, P3,500 for Patron; and at least P5,000 for the VIP seats. You must then request for a FanCon voucher signed by the store manager. All you have to do next is to present your voucher to any SM Tickets (www.smtickets.com) branch nationwide to exchange to a ticket.

The complete list of participating branches are: PENSHOPPE stores located at SM Mall of Asia, SM Manila, SM San Lazaro, SM Megamall, SM North EDSA (Main Mall), SM Fairview, SM Southmall, SM Marikina, SM Pampanga, SM Baguio, SM Lucena, SM Batangas, SM Cebu, SM Iloilo, SM Davao, SM Cagayan de Oro, Ayala Trinoma, Glorietta, Festival Supermall-Filinvest Alabang, Robinsons Place Manila, Eastwood and Ali Mall.

(PENSHOPPE Fan Conference 2012 starring Zac Efron is a project by leading entertainment agency PR Asia Worldwide for PENSHOPPE 2012/13. Official media partners include The Philippine STAR, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Manila Bulletin, GARAGE Magazine, Summit Media’s Candy Magazine, OK! Philippines, PEP.ph, SPOT.ph, Cosmo.ph, Jaguar Philippines and L’Oreal Paris. For details, follow PENSHOPPE’s official Twitter account @PENSHOPPE or like it on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/penshoppeofficial.)