Ben Alegre =.) Online

Marlboro Behind Eraserheads Reunion Concert

It's still unclear who the organizers and the "sole" sponsor of bringing back the Eraserheads back on stage.  Rumor has it that the company who's sponsoring this much-awaited event in the Philippine music industry caters to the adult market - 18 and above.

That narrows down the list of possible sponsors to 3...

1. liquor/alcohol brands
2. cigarette brands
3. condom brands

If it were an alcohol / liquor brand, it would definitely be San Miguel. However, we don't see any tri-media advertisements relating to this event.  Moreover, there's no alcohol-related big event culminating this August. Thus, we can say that San Miguel is not the sponsor.

It's also unlikely that condom brands like Frenzy or Trust would pull this off.  Not to offend them, but I believe they have the least financial resources to pull this off compared to the other two.

Finally, if it's gonna be a cigarette company, it will be Marlboro!  They definitely have the financial resources to pull off this kind of event. Just ask yourselves. How many of your friends smoke everyday? How many times a day? Compare that to how many bottles of beers your friends consume in a month? Compare that to the number of condoms your friends use? (Probably they don't use condoms at all. Hehe.)

Moreover, Marlboro being a sponsor justifies why there's no tri-media advertising for this event considering it's the Eraserheads we're talking about here.  Cigarette companies are now banned to advertise.  Hence, all the promotions are viral. Now if you go to the their website, you'll notice the RED LIST...

Since, cigarette companies can no longer advertise thru tri-media (TV, Radio, Print), they have to resort to more discreet ways of promoting their products. One classic way is thru mailing lists or e-newsletters.   Very effective because email lists are captured markets. Moreover, people who signed up to these lists are open to receive marketing / promotional information of the companies.  Old-school, but it works!

Niweis, I have just signed up for the Red List despite the fact that there's no guarantee I'll receive invitations to the Eraserheads concert nor a guarantee that Marlboro really is the sponsor.  They require your to scan your ID (front and back) and upload it upon submission of the registration form.

I pray that ALL Eraserheads fans get invites to this event. And for people who help spread the rumors like me. Hehe.

Eraserheads Reunion Concert
August 30, 2008
CCP Open Grounds