by: Jerome Auza
The country’s longest running noon time show Eat Bulaga has broken the world record on number of tweets for its hashtag #ALDubEBTamangPanahon on October 24, 2015. As of this writing, the number of tweets in 24 hours have exceeded 36 million, surpassing the 35.6 million tweets for the #Worldcup hashtag. This is a milestone for the local entertainment industry and my congratulations go to the cast and management of Eat Bulaga.
Why is the ALDub segment of the show so popular? On the surface, it’s just a love story with a major obstacle and a cast of comedians. Behind the scenes though, the Eat Bulaga team have brilliantly developed the story in a way that it appealed to virtually everyone.
In a previous article, I talked about Eat Bulaga’s first major tweet record of more than 11 million tweets.
During the episode on October 24, Lola Nidora finally gave permission for the pair to be together without the “1 foot” distance requirement because it was now the right time or “tamang panahon”. Fans of the show burst with joy when the Alden and Yaya Dub finally were allowed to hold hands and even hug. Lola Nidora had been forbidding them to even touch each other.
In subtle ways, the show is showing its audience how young people should behave especially if there is attraction between a boy and a girl. Lola Nidora reminds Alden and Yaya Dub about trust, patience and waiting for the right time. I commend Eat Bulaga for being very responsible in handling the popularity of the ALDub love team. There was not even a hint of inappropriate actions. The love team held hands and hugged, but they never kissed because they promised to Lola Nidora that there will be no kiss on that day.
And I think this is why many Filipinos are attracted to the show. It is wholesome. It is clean fun. The whole family could watch it. It reminds us of traditional values in a subtle but effective way. We may be in a very modern world, with state of the art technology in our pockets, but we really want to stick to traditional values.
The “Tamang Panahon” episode was even used to raise funds for the building of libraries throughout the Philippines. The ticket sales on the first day it was announced was in itself a record for Ticket World. 100% of the sales would go to the library fund.
On the technical side, what does it mean if Eat Bulaga could set Twitter records? For one, it becomes a very solid proof its popularity and thus it means it can demand a very good price for ad placements. Being a trending topic on Twitter means the show will get even more exposure on the web as people who have not heard of Eat Bulaga will see the hashtags and could get curious and see the information. The topic then gets even more viral over the Internet.
The recent TV ratings conducted by independent firms are all in favor now of Eat Bulaga compared to other shows. Add to that the popularity on Twitter, Eat Bulaga and the ALDub tandem will surely get worldwide attention. Who knows what endorsement deals they can get later on? Already there are hints of them being featured in regional magazines in Asia.
The ALDub phenomenon is a great case study in marketing, specifically in digital marketing where social media was effectively used. Businesses interested in how to get their products and services popular on the Internet can get a lesson or two if they study the methods used by Eat Bulaga. Or they can just do it the easy but expensive way: hire Alden and Yaya Dub as their endorsers.