ABS-CBN Integrated Sports earned a victory for the Philippines after winning “Best Sports Marketing Campaign of the Year” at the Asia Sports Industry Awards on Oct. 4 in Bangkok.
The sports arm of the country’s leading media and entertainment company was recognized for its work in promoting the Women’s Volleyball Tournament of the University Athletic Associations of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 78, where it used an integrated marketing campaign anchored on women empowerment to get more Filipinos, especially women, into the culture of sports.
According to ABS-CBN Integrated Sports head Dino Laurena, the UAAP Women’s Volleyball Tournament has undergone a complete transformation in terms of viewership and marketing possibilities due to the sudden rise of the sport in the country. From a mere few people trooping to the University of the Philippines’ College for Human Kinetics gym to watch volleyball games then, now the tournament has thousands of fans who watch the matches live at the venue, on television, and online through ABS-CBN’s multiple media platforms.
“Years ago, UAAP volleyball was played in the gyms at UP and Ateneo, but now we are able to fill to the rafters of the biggest stadiums in the country. Our volleyball players have also become so popular that they have become celebrities and role models to youth. ABS-CBN, as the official broadcaster of UAAP, is honored to play a role in making all of that happen,” Laurena shared.
In their 360 campaign for the volleyball tournament last season, ABS-CBN Sports aimed to inspire more people to get into this exciting and fast-growing sport through content and promotions on TV, radio, print, and online. The campaign resulted to higher TV ratings, a new record in gate attendance, and greater page views and video views for articles and videos posted about the tournament on ABS-CBN’s sports hub sports.abs-cbn.com – indications that more people are taking notice of volleyball.
“We’re very proud to be chosen over some of the very best sports marketing projects around the Southeast Asian region, but more importantly, we take pride in staying committed to our mission of championing sports development and Filipino athletes by helping grow the next big sport in the Philippines,” said Laurena.
The Asia Sports Industry Awards recognizes and celebrates business leaders, organizations, facilities and campaigns at the forefront of the sporting industry, that have made a contribution to the growth and development of sports across South East Asia in the past eighteen months. ABS-CBN also won last year for its “Isang Bayan Para Kay Pacman” campaign, which was conferred with the “Best Sports Digital Platform” award.
ABS-CBN, through ABS-CBN Sports, brings to free TV games popular international sporting events such as the NBA, US Open, FIFA, and UEFA Champions League, and is the home of premier collegiate basketball in the country as the broadcast partner of the NCAA and UAAP. They also air big fight events like the Pinoy Pride boxing series, Top Rank Boxing, URCC, Bellator, and ONE Championship promotions and produces original sports content such as the sports newscast The Score and Upfront at the UAAP. ABS-CBN Sports also has wide presence online through its sports hub sports.abs-cbn.com, and official social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter (@ABSCBNSports).
