I, Marketing Man… Yes, I’m a Product Endorser Of Badjao Banig, Mizuno!

An eagle-eyed follower of this page asked in a comment posted early today whether I am an endorser of Mizuno shirts because I am always seen wearing one.

Yes, I have long been an unofficial endorser not only of Mizuno shirts which I find to be cool but also of other things I like and advocacies I embrace.

I used to play golf a lot and I loved Mizuno Golf Clubs with matching shirts and shoes because golf is not only a game, it is also a fashion statement.

For that, Mizuno Philippines dealer Benigno Gopez and his son, Lovell, had given me a 30% discount on every Mizuno item that I bought from their stores.

But there are other things I endorse not because of discounts but because I would like to help the people who produce them.

The backdrop of the first photo, for example, is actually a mat made out of Pandan leaves woven by Badjao women in Maluso, Basilan.

I visited their weaving center in March set up by the Claretian Priests and I was so fascinated by the products so I bought a “banig” and other items.

Unfortunately, the Pandan Banig which I bought for P2,500 got wet and a portion of it was damaged.

Sayang din kung hindi magamit dahil mahal.

So, I decided to hang the banig in the wall of the porch of my farm house and used it as a backdrop for my on-line and virtual meetings.

It proved to be a very effetective promotions strategy because in so many instances, foreign partners of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) noticed the “banig” and started our meetings by asking about it.

That gives me an opportunity of telling them the story of the Badjao women who weave the beautiful mats and in so doing I am able to give them a deeper perspective of the Beauty of my homeland, Mindanao.

How’s that for a marketing strategy?

#KungGustoMaramingParaan!