The British news agency on Tuesday (Manila time) uploaded Richards and Mendoza’s interview with Filipino BBC host Rico Hizon on the set of noontime show “Eat Bulaga.”
Hizon said AlDub’s “meteoric rise” in the Philippines, which was evident both in television and in social media, was “difficult to ignore.”
“They have dominated headlines and social media trends – certainly in the Philippines – but few have tried to evaluate this winning formula,” Hizon said. “It is, of course, about great entertainment, but perhaps the magic is also in the marketing, a smart social media strategy, and good business sense.”
Noting that the “previously unknown couple” have been pulling an average of 8.6 million viewers daily, Hizon said AlDub’s “phenomenal” success was not only a money-spinner for the show’s producers but also for Richards and Mendoza themselves, as seen in their various commercial endorsements, both local and international.
“By international standards, the sum total of their endorsements is paltry. No one would confirm how much they’re earning from these deals but it’s estimated to be little more than $200,000 (£132,600). But their rise has been meteoric and unexpected to industry watchers,” he said.
But despite her popularity, Mendoza told Hizon that she has not yet fully absorbed everything that is happening to her.
“Everything that is happening now has not sunk in to me yet… The mere fact that people are so engaged and drawn into the whole thing is unbelievable. The support and love of our fans is amazing, they’re incredible,” Mendoza said.
Asked about the possibility of having a real-life affair, Richards said: “That possibility is possible.”
AlDub creator Jenny Ferre denied to BBC that a potential off-screen relationship between the actors has been made up to appeal to fans, but admitted that the 36-year-old show had been facing problems in attracting younger viewers.
“We were encountering a little problem… before it happened, like how to penetrate social media and how to go digital,” Ferre said, noting that the AlDub phenomenon was a stroke of luck. “TV is like Dracula, social media is the blood, you just have to suck it out and give TV that strength.”
“The show will last as long as AlDub can give me real emotions,” she added. YG/TVJ
source: entertainment.inquirer.net
