/Be Bench Model Search

I am sure that most of us Filipinos have heard of the /be bench model search going on in the country. I had the privilege to have a friend tell me his experiences as a bench model search contestant.

He summed it up like this:

"10,000+ contestants
1,400 qualified contestants
10 from Trinoma(Where I auditioned)
200 contestants battling it out in Studio 1
15 Girls, 15 guys for the show..."

He maintains a multiply site. The contest was very competitive. 200 people with model-type bodies battled it out at ABS-CBN studio 1. Only 30 will be accepted to join the show, and 12 will be named the next bench models.

Wow.

From 10,000+ to just 12!

Looking deeper though, it looked like an effective marketing strategy. My friend practically had no Bench(TM) clothes. A minimum purchase of P200 is required. An added requirement is a full Bench outfit from underwear to shoes to jeans to accessories. That could go all the way up to P1000 or more!

Assuming P1,000 per outfit per person, and 10,000 contestants, an estimated additional P10,000,000 in revenue will be generated. In addition to that, Bench will be able to recruit new models who won't command a talent fee as high as those already in show business.

There was no consolation prize, which was the sad part. The lunch given to the 200 qualifiers was just siomai and garlic rice from PotDog. Hardly a sumptuous meal. There should have been at least a gift certificate for those who made it to the final 200. Anyhow, they might have thought that bragging rights are enough.

As of the posting, the show hasn't been aired yet. You might see me, or my friend in the show when it gets aired on July 29, 2007.