RAIN or Shine co-owner Raymund Yu wants his team to be back in the Finals of the coming PBA Governors Cup and hopefully, he wants Barangay Ginebra to be there with them.
Yu said the recent success of the last Commissioner’s Cup Finals between Ginebra and Alaska, which saw the PBA reach new heights in terms of gate attendance and television ratings, is proof that playing in a championship series opposite Ginebra is like winning a title, marketing-wise.
“Masarap siguro if we can make the finals at makakalaban namin ang Ginebra, kasi Ginebra is a marketing phenomenon,” said the soft-spoken Asian Coatings franchise top executive.“Makalaban mo sila (sa finals) eh di kasama ka na rin sa kwento.”
“Iba talaga ang Ginebra eh. Sila ang gustong gusto ng tao, kita mo naman yung attendance nung last Finals.”
Yu said a second straight Governors Cup championship will just be a bonus if the Painters get to face off with the league's most's popular ballclub in the finale.
“Marketing impact kasi nun, malakas at maganda. Kaya if we get to face them in the finals parang nag-champion ka na rin,” said Yu.
Game Three of the Ginebra-Alaska Finals broke all-time records in basketball attendance with 23,436 fans trooping to the Smart Araneta Coliseum. It was also the third most watched event in the Big Dome’s 53 years, next only to the Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier fight in October 1975 and the coliseum’s inaugural event: the Flash Elorde-Harold Gomes world lightweight championship in March 16, 1960.
The finals, which the Aces swept in three games, also recorded an unprecedented 59,029 total ticket sales.
Television ratings for Game Three also hit sky-high, gaining a 22.4 share, something which PBA media bureau chief Willie Marcial said is the "best in (the league's) recent history" considering it beat entertainment shows from rival networks in the prime time slot.
“Seeing those numbers talagang hindi maitatanggi na playing in games widely watched and supported like that will be a very good marketing leverage,” said Yu.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
