MANILA, Philippines - Manny Pacquiao is the country’s undisputed endorsement king who promotes a wide array of products from coffee to ice cream to pain killers to cellphones to motorcycles to fuel oil to sports apparel and footwear to beer to real estate to automotive batteries to nearly everything under the sun. Now, he’s being transformed into a global icon and Top Rank executive vice president for business development and marketing Lucia McKelvey said yesterday she believes his international potential is unlimited.
McKelvey is in Manila to jumpstart the three-day shooting schedule for Pacquiao to film a 60-second commercial and pose for print ads in a deal with the 20 Billion Euro company Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH) of France. The schedule calls for three eight-hour days of shooting. The shooting was originally set to start last Thursday but was postponed to begin yesterday. McKelvey was on location for the first day of shooting and will return to the US today. She flew in with Top Rank chairman Bob Arum last Tuesday. Arum left yesterday.
In Manila for the shoot are award-winning director Johnny Green of Audi A6 fame, photographer Maggie Lynch, two executives from the LVMH office in Paris, six executives from the LVMH office in New York, two executives from the New York-based Cohn and Wolfe public relations company and a crew of about 15 production professionals from the US.
Pacquiao was signed to endorse Hennessy cognac, one of several high-end products under the LVMH umbrella, including Christian Dior perfumes, Dom Perignon champagne and Tag Heuer watches. McKelvey said with the time and effort behind the production of the campaign, she expects it to be the biggest yet for Pacquiao as an endorser.
“Manny is clearly evolving into a global icon,” said McKelvey. “This campaign could turn out to be his most notable yet. Manny has met with Johnny who developed and created the storyboard for the video shoot. Manny loved the theme of ‘Never Stop, Never Settle.’ It’s about his continuing mission to get to the next level, to keep on going, to improve as an athlete, as a legislator, as a person. The storybook looks at where he was, where he is and where he’s going. It brings out his past, something that Manny always wants to share because it’s such an inspiring story to know where he came from.”
The shoot will recreate scenes of Pacquiao’s humble beginnings and also show him in the ring and the halls of Congress. “In the video, there is no mention of alcohol at all,” said McKelvey. “That’s the beauty of this message because Manny embodies what the product stands for. The initial plan was to shoot in Los Angeles but the idea was to bring Manny to where he’s from. The video will reach out to a multi-cultural audience and in the US, it is heavily skewed towards a Latino market which recognizes Manny as an outstanding athlete. The shoot is for the US market but with Manny’s increasing popularity and recognition, there is interest from Europe and Asia as well.”
McKelvey said she just signed Pacquiao to another multi-million dollar endorsement deal with a beverage but declined to divulge details until a break date is agreed on.
“What makes Manny’s potential unlimited is he’s not saturated with deals in the global market,” said McKelvey. “Right now, he’s one of the top 10 greatest athletes of all time in the world. There is global recognition of his ability and talent. The thing that makes Manny different from other superstars is his humility and it’s a trait that people all over the world love. Manny’s easy to deal with and that’s a plus, too. Michael Jordan earns over $60 Million in endorsements even now that he’s retired from basketball. I foresee Manny as marketable even when he decides to retire from boxing. As long as he continues to reach out to his fans, to keep on growing as a person, I think he can be like Mike. If I play my cards right and with Manny’s tools, I think we can do a good job of marketing him as a global icon beyond boxing.”
McKelvey said since she arrived in Manila, the reception has been overwhelming. “I’ve just been a few days in Manila on my first visit and I can feel the love of the people towards anyone who has something to do with Manny,” she said. “I’ve noticed how Bob is mobbed by fans wanting to get his autograph or pose for a photo. On the way to a restaurant the other day, there must have been over 1,000 people who recognized Bob. This love for Manny is what drives me to work even harder to get him what he deserves as a global endorser and icon.”
McKelvey said a line of vegetables under the brand Pacquiao Produce is going retail in North America and the outlook is bright for unprecedented sales. The vegetables will soon be available in Asia, including the Philippines. A Texas company sources the fresh vegetables from 5,000 acres of farmland in Guanajuato, Mexico.
McKelvey’s first deal with Pacquiao was a TV commercial for Hewlett Packards Veer 4G smartphone which aired during the NBA Finals last season. It was reported that the deal delivered a $1 Million paycheck for Pacquiao. McKelvey estimated that Pacquiao’s potential as an endorser is at least $50 Million and he’s just barely scratching the surface as a player in the lucrative endorsements game.