New Media Philippines » ABS CBN

GMA7 Reporters finally using Twitter?

Carlo Ople — Wed, 26 May 2010 07:32:40 +0000

In so far as social media is concerned, ABS-CBN is a clear runaway leader among all the traditional media outlets in the country. Most of their reporters are all passionately active on Twitter (with emphasis on passionately) and they’ve been integrating social media effectively with their news programs and shows. In fact I still think these guys deserve some sort of award for how they utilized social media in the recent 2010 coverage. The only person that I saw active on Twitter from their rival station (GMA 7) was Howie Severino. I found this a bit weird since last I heard GMA7 has their own New Media division and they should be championing stuff like this. Anyway, it looks like GMA7 is finally seeing the light. I just saw that one of their veteran reporters, Vicky Morales, just signed up for a Twitter account.

In as far as social media is concerned, TV5 is also catching up very quickly. Their Facebook accounts are very lively and get updated frequently while their media peeps, namely Paolo Bediones, Cheryl Cosim, Trisha Roque, and Michelle Orosa (yihee) are also all on Twitter.

I look forward to the day that I see Mike Enriquez on Twitter. Hahaha!

Interview for ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs on Social Media and the 2010 Campaign

Carlo Ople — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:39:01 +0000

I was recently interviewed by Beth Morrissey from ABS-CBN (News & Current Affairs) about how the Presidential candidates are using Social Media and the internet in the 2010 campaign. It was a pretty interesting discussion we had since she was genuinely interested in internet marketing and she had a pretty good grasp of the topic. It was really more like an exchange of ideas than an interview. Anyway, let me just share the share the article which was posted on the ABS-CBN News website.

New media consultant Carlo Ople is skeptical that politicians in the Philippines will be able to replicate Obama’s success. “Social media is not a one-night stand. It’s a long term thing,” said Ople, noting that the candidates in the Philippines started their online campaigns only a few months before election day.

Ople, whose client list at one point included Sen. Mar Roxas, says that someone who connects to a candidate on a social networking site will not necessarily vote for that candidate. Ople says he is not working for any of the presidential or vice presidential campaigns this election season.

“It depends on how you use your existing fan base,” said Ople, when asked how social networks may influence the election. Ople believes that growing the number of connections on social networking websites, such as fans on Facebook or followers on Twitter, should only be part of a politician’s social media strategy. According to the consultant, the presidential candidates should try to engage and mobilize their social networking connections.

“If each of your 700,000 [Facebook Fans] gets 10 people to vote that’s 7 million, that’s the swing vote right there” he said. “700,000 people can turn into 700,000 soldiers.” Ople says that the Aquino campaign is the presidential campaign that is best engaging its social media networks, as its online campaign encourages people to participate in offline activities like wearing yellow on Fridays to show support for the candidate.

Ople is skeptical that the online strategies of the presidential campaigns will change much before election day. “Since we’re in the campaign period, you won’t see more innovation,” he said.

I’ll expound on this interview in my next few posts. Thanks again to Beth and ABS-CBN for the chance to share my thoughts on the topic. Read the complete article here.

TV 5 to challenge GMA 7 and ABS-CBN?

Carlo Ople — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 19:27:39 +0000

Manny Pangilinan purchased majority share in TV 5 and gave out a strong message in the recent Ad Congress. He said that TV 5 would be the force that would break the duopoly between ABS-CBN and GMA 7. Having worked for a PLDT company, I’d have to say that TV 5 has a strong chance of doing so. Combine the elements of professional management, strong marketing, and big budget then you have a powerhouse in the making. TV5 actually fired the first shot already by pirating Paolo Bediones from GMA7. From what I heard though Paolo was given a corporate/management job and not a talent role. Looks like Manny sees something in Paolo that GMA7 didn’t. That and GMA7 couldn’t match the offer.

In an interview, Felipe Gozon, GMA7 President, replied to MVP’s statement by saying that he’s not provoked. But he goes on to admit in the interview that TV5 will definitely have a lot of money since MVP is now involved.

If MVP manages to bring up the viewership and strength of TV5 as a network, this would give his group of companies the ultimate marketing advantage. If they can get free or preferred rates on prime time, then this would definitely give PLDT companies like SMART and Level Up a major advantage.

Let’s see what MVP has up his sleeve for TV5 in 2010. This will definitely be something worth monitoring!