Whenever I ask foreigners what they like about the Philippines (and I ask that all the time), they quickly reply with the usual reasons, like nice warm weather, fantastic beaches, etc. And the most common response is "Filipinos are so friendly!" Call me biased, but I completely agree with them!
So, if that's the case, I think a strategic "branding" move involving beauty pageants would be to send the friendliest candidates to the competitions, with the main objective of winning as many friends as possible.
Unlike the other awards, Miss Congeniality is chosen by the delegates themselves. Peer voting. It's the same as the "most likes" contests proliferating on Facebook. But unlike Facebook lowlifes who spawn bogus accounts just to win lame contests, it won't be so easy to create fake candidates at the pageant.
It doesn't mean the candidate will ignore the chance to become the Miss Universe (or Miss World, or Miss Earth, or Miss Whatever), but that aspect requires the judges to appreciate her outer beauty.
If our representatives take home the Miss Congeniality Award year after year, viewers will naturally equate the Philippines with friendly people... which would be perfectly consistent with our culture!
And pretty soon, we will all react this way...
No comments:
Post a Comment