Haha-haha-haha! You wouldn't believe it, but in Ateneo, posters of Sacha are littered all over! Her her face is practically everywhere you'd turn to! And she's even wearing this matrix-type costume... methinks I should take home one or two... or three or four... or ten... :)
Hope to see some nice people at the OB EB tomorrow. Too bad Maia's not going. At least certain other people are...
OB Gossip Thread: Wow! Talk about a den of liars! Haha-haha!!!
Friday, November 29, 2002
As a once-a-week thing (I hope...), I'll just give a top five on anything, in addition to any other posts I may make. Let's see... for today, I'll go for:
IC: The Top Five Reasons Marcelle Feels Life Is Unfair
5. Marcelle plays KOF 2001, uses four random characters, and someone challenges him and chooses his characters. Thank God Marcelle then proceeds to whoop him.
4. Marcelle's D&D character is a Barbarian, and he loses in an arm wrestling match to a frigging Wizard.
3. Marcelle seems to gain the ire of the friends that mean a lot to him (See some of the previous entries for reference.)
2. Marcelle's 14-year old brother gets a Nokia 5510 for his birthday. Marcelle is 19, and had to save up for a year to get his 3350.
1. If Fernando Poe Jr. runs for president, no matter how great his opponents are, he will still win.
IC: The Top Five Reasons Marcelle Feels Life Is Unfair
5. Marcelle plays KOF 2001, uses four random characters, and someone challenges him and chooses his characters. Thank God Marcelle then proceeds to whoop him.
4. Marcelle's D&D character is a Barbarian, and he loses in an arm wrestling match to a frigging Wizard.
3. Marcelle seems to gain the ire of the friends that mean a lot to him (See some of the previous entries for reference.)
2. Marcelle's 14-year old brother gets a Nokia 5510 for his birthday. Marcelle is 19, and had to save up for a year to get his 3350.
1. If Fernando Poe Jr. runs for president, no matter how great his opponents are, he will still win.
Thursday, November 28, 2002
Just a little something I'm doing for my PR class... hope you jabronis like it!
Company: World Wrestling Entertainment
http://allsands.com/Sports/wwfwrestlinghi_vac_gn.htm SOURCE
What? World Wrestling Entertainment? Do you smell what it's cooking, jabroni?
Identity: The World Leader of Sports Entertainment.
This identity was established by the WWE through four decades of professional wrestling. In these four decades, the WWE has faced innumerable obstacles and challenges, yet remained steadfast despite them all. Until the 1980's, wrestling was regional, meaning that each wrestling organization focused on a particular part of the country. A typical wrestler would spend a year or two in one territory; when his character started to get stale in that area, he packed up and headed for another territory. Only a handful of wrestlers, such as Gorgeous George, were nationally known.
The AWA (American Wrestling Association) was run out of Minneapolis. Run by Verne Gagne and family, the AWA once held stars like Sergeant Slaughter, Curt Hennig, Nick Bockwinkel and even Hulk Hogan. The Von Erich family ran World Class Championship Wrestling in Dallas, Texas, and other organizations were based out of Memphis, Tennessee (where current WWF announcer Jerry "the King" Lawler first found fame), Hawaii (a territory run by relatives of the Rock) Florida, Georgia and more. The NWA (National Wrestling Alliance, the major part of which became WCW) was a loose alliance of the regional organizations that ran "supercards" where hometown heroes would square off for larger championships.
And then there was the World Wrestling Federation- or, as it was originally known, the World Wide Wrestling Federation. It operated out of the Northeast and its main venue was Madison Square Garden. (Even today in "wrestling industry-speak" a wrestler can refer to "New York" meaning the WWF organization, though the company is technically based out of Connecticut). Vince McMahon, Sr., father of the now-infamous "Mr. McMahon," was the promoter, and his main star from the very beginning of the organization was Bruno Sammartino.
Sammartino was a former bodybuilder from Pittsburgh who, in his time, was unquestionably the king of the WWWF. Bruno headlined over 150 sold out WWWF cards at Madison Square Garden and holds a record for longest WWF title reign, holding the title for over eight years without losing it! In today's wrestling world of quick title changes, it's hard to imagine a full-year title reign, much less an eight-year run.
Bruno had a solid array of power moves, such as the bear hug and the backbreaker, an impressive physique, and most importantly, a strong connection with his fans. In an interview Bruno remarked that after losing the WWWF title for the first time (to Stan Stasiak), there were fans actually crying because he had lost the title. His charisma, though perhaps understated in today's terms, was undeniable.
Another WWWF wrestler who had massive star power was Andre the Giant, though of course anything involved with Andre would involve the word "massive." The French-born Andre was an impressive sight at over seven feet tall and over four hundred pounds. Yet Andre could carry himself like a much smaller man, performing some acrobatic moves that surprised and dazzled fans. But Andre's charm belied his fearsome size and strength, and his popularity made him at one time the highest-paid pro athlete in the world, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
Vince McMahon Sr. died in 1982, and left his company to his son Vince Jr., who had been in charge of one of the smaller parts of the WWWF territory, and he dropped the "W" to rename it WWF, or World Wrestling Federation. This would mean huge changes for the industry. Vince Sr. believed in cooperation between the various regional wrestling organizations. There were times, in fact, when WWF champion Bob Backlund, who reigned in the late 1970's and early 1980's, fought NWA world champion Ric Flair. Both fought AWA champions as well. Each group loaned out talent to the others from time to time when business wasn't up to par. Vince Jr., on the other hand, saw the AWA and NWA as competitors, and decided to run his cards in their parts of the country. Vince Jr.'s WWF was poised to become the first truly national wrestling organization. But one piece of the puzzle was needed, and that was a name so nationally recognizable that the company could actually sustain a national following. The name was Hulk Hogan... and the rest was history.
Hogan at the time was part of the AWA, and a part in one of Sylvester Stallone's Rocky sequels got his name known in a big way. While the Hulk was extraordinarily popular, promoter Verne Gagne refused to put the AWA title on him. (There was a famous match where Hogan apparently beat Nick Bockwinkel for the title; when the referee announced that the decision was reversed, the crowd literally almost rioted.) Gagne's rationale was that Hogan was a lot of charisma, a lot of muscles, but not much wrestling. Gagne was absolutely on the mark about Hogan's strengths and weaknesses, but he misunderstood the public's stance on the issue: if it was between Hogan and pure, technical wrestling, they wanted Hogan, and they wanted him in a big way. After being told in no uncertain terms by Gagne that the AWA belt was out of his range, the Hulk came to the WWF and almost immediately became their champion.
This title change, in January of 1984, made Hogan the focus of the WWF and gave the company the national star power they needed. Almost immediately the WWF took off on the strength of Hulkamania. Not that it was Hogan's stardom and McMahon's marketing savvy alone: as the company began to grow, other talented stars began to head to "New York" and try their hand in the WWF. Rowdy Roddy Piper, who had previously been known for brutal, bloody feuds with Ric Flair and Greg Valentine, came to town and with his clever wisecracks and brawling style, he quickly became Hogan's nemesis. Colorful managers like "Captain" Lou Albano and "Classy" Freddie Blassie brought color to otherwise humorless teams like the Hart Foundation (featuring Bret "Hitman" Hart before he became a superstar in his own right) and the Killer Bees.
This was the first time in wrestling history where "gimmicks," or the addition of nicknames and personas in addition to wrestling skills, became paramount to each athlete. While this disappointed longtime wrestling fans (Bruno Sammartino, the company's top star in the 60's, still refuses to watch modern pro wrestling because of its "sports entertainment" focus), the Hollywoodization of the WWF continued on. Vince McMahon continued to expand in new directions, harnessing the power of pay-per-view television by creating Wrestlemania, now regarded as the focal point of the WWF calendar.
Hogan's popularity was unmatched for the rest of the 80's, despite other big names like Randy "Macho Man" Savage and the Ultimate Warrior. But as the 1990's rolled around, the WWF was showing signs of stagnation. Hogan almost never lost, which meant his matches were becoming predictable. Plus, he was getting restless and began looking to Hollywood for movie roles, eventually leaving the WWF in 1993. However, no one was big enough to replace Hulk Hogan, and so business began to decline. Heroes like "American Made" Lex Luger, Diesel and Bret Hart gave it a good shot, but the WWF's "huge hero vs. evil villain" model no longer worked.
At the same time, McMahon and several other WWF employees were indicted by the federal government for various charges of distributing and selling illegal steroids. During the trial, Hulk Hogan and other wrestlers testified against McMahon and the WWF, admitting they had used steroids. The negative publicity was damaging, and combined with the large threat from Ted Turner's WCW organization, they led to the company struggling to keep from folding.
How did the WWF survive? By changing course once again, casting off "last year's model" and trying a new format. Gimmicks remained an essential part of each wrestler, but now their roles were less cartoonish. Characters like the half-human Mantaur and plumber TL Hopper were discarded, while more focus was placed on the personality of each individual wrestler. Shawn Michaels stopped brown-nosing fans and played up his wisecracking, sneaky persona to create Degeneration X. His partner, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, went from a snobby socialite to the irreverent punk known as Triple H. Athletic, fan-friendly Rocky Miavia became the self-obsessed Rock, and silent Stone Cold Steve Austin turned into the rugged, beer-drinking, cursing "toughest SOB in the WWF." Plus, the company abandoned the traditional good guy-always-fights-bad guy format, pitting everybody against everybody else, leading to some unique feuds.
And of course, this has led to the rebirth of the WWF, which, in its current form, is undoubtedly the most popular wrestling organization of all time. On March 21, 2001, the WWF managed to purchase its sole national competitor, the WCW. As far as it goes, the WWF was now a monopoly in the national scene. But this didn't happen overnight. Just as its current format will play a role in its future, the history of the WWF is part of what it has become. In a recent legal battle with the World Wildlife Fund (Also WWF.), the WWF had to give up its rights to the acronym and change its name. Hence, it is now officially known as World Wrestling Entertainment, or WWE.
Image (Corporate): The ONLY leader in Sports Entertainment.
Image (Product): Anything can happen in the WWE.
The WWE's corporate image spawns from the fact that it has been the most dominant pro wrestling organization in the entirety of the United States. In fact, just like the NBA, the global coverage of the WWE has been a powerful force only the now-defunct WCW came close to reckoning with. By being the ONLY leader in Sports Entertainment, the people who closely follow the WWE know that Vincent K. McMahon Jr.'s business savvy is matched only by his ruthlessness in eliminating the competition. This entails numerous questionable tactics on his part, ranging from the aforementioned steroids distribution, to talent raiding of budding federations in order to prevent it from gaining ground. Most competitors view the WWE with little respect and great fear, simply because of these cutthroat practices, and while this is not a good way to connect with competitors, the WWE's sponsors are nonetheless confident that this is the best pro wrestling company they can turn to.
On the other hand, the WWE's product image can go either way. When one says anything can happen in the WWE, ANYTHING is certainly not an understatement. Events in recent history within the WWE have involved fatal accidents from a rapelling stunt, a gay wedding ceremony, and a necrophilia storyline. While the shock value of these storylines do attract a lot of media attention, and thus give a lot of exposure the WWE, a lot of backlash likewise happens. While sponsors are sure of the fact that the WWE is the best in its genre, it is however unsure of the viewership of the WWE, especially as of recent times. Sponsors, due to much bad publicity caused by the WWE's unpredictability, tend to back out.
On a positive note, the fans of the WWE enjoy its storylines because of its refreshing mix of drama and athleticism. Over the past decade, pro wrestling has been regarded as "The Man's Soap Opera", and while still considered as low-brow entertainment, pro wrestling in general has been more accepted into the mainstream than it was in the early 80's. The storylines of the WWE in particular, are very gripping to the casual fan (Although the self-proclaimed "smarts" in the business tend to find the WWE predictable.), and it's been a known fact that despite the openness, most WWE fans still think that the product is NOT scripted. The sheer power of the PR machine employed by the WWE to still exude this kind of an image despite its openness to being scripted is simply phenomenal.
Media Usage:
The WWE uses two forms of media quite heavily: Television and the Internet. Print, radio and film are secondary, but very crucial as well. Being a televised product, the WWE heavily relies on its TW coverage and syndication to get its product across, and a bulk of its advertisements come from there. It uses television very effectively, as its production quality is very high in comparison to its other competitors that are locally televised. Most of its storylines are teased in elaborate video packages aired on their respective networks, and even some of their wrestlers end up on the news, be it for an upcoming storyline, or, say, a charity event. On the flipside, these same individuals can also be there for the latest criminal offense. Their wrestlers also do guestings on other programs quite often as well.
On the internet front, WWE.com is one of the most frequently-visited sites in the world, generating an average of 50,000 hits a day, much more during Pay-Per-Views and live events. Within its website, a treasure trove of information about your favorite Superstars can be found, and most of their press releases are likewise placed there as soon as they are made available elsewhere for public consumption. Its official website is usually more reliable to check than your daily newspaper if in case you want to know the WWE's stand on anything.
Print media is a necessity for the WWE. Most of its press releases are coursed through there, and not through television. Likewise, they are fond of making full-color print ads that tend to catch the eye, and thus attract people to watch their shows. Radio, through guestings by their personalities, is also used to make their product more known. They rarely rely on radio for news updates, leaving this to TV, Internet, and to a lesser extent, print. Lastly, their use of film is quite apparent in the latest blockbuster hit "The Scorpion King", where Dwayne Johnson did not drop his ring name, The Rock, and used it to instead draw moviegoers through his star power, and likewise, draw moviegoers to watch wrestling even more. Lots of other wrestlers also make cameos in different films, and their association with the WWE is made very clear. Hence, even in film, the WWE is making its product known to its publics.
The Bottomline:
The researcher has been a wrestling fan since 1989, and he can say without a doubt that despite the fact that the WWE is not the best at public relations, the bond Vince McMahon, Jr. managed to make with the fans has been so strong, as to actually surpass all obstacles that faced the company, in the form of bad publicity, upstart rivals, and disgruntled former employees who write tell-all books. The magic exuded by Mr. McMahon is simply beyond logic: how else can you explain the fact that the WWE is the ONLY national wrestling company left in North America? VInce could've done all the underhanded tactics he'd like, but if he didn't come out with a good product in the first place, nobody would've been watching his program, and no matter how small the competition, the ratings will always tell the story.
Indeed, as far as public relations, in terms of its primary public (its audience), the WWE has certainly achieved a milestone. Where else can you see a company that swears it's lying, and yet nobody believes it?
That's the bottomline. It's true! It's true!
Company: World Wrestling Entertainment
http://allsands.com/Sports/wwfwrestlinghi_vac_gn.htm SOURCE
What? World Wrestling Entertainment? Do you smell what it's cooking, jabroni?
Identity: The World Leader of Sports Entertainment.
This identity was established by the WWE through four decades of professional wrestling. In these four decades, the WWE has faced innumerable obstacles and challenges, yet remained steadfast despite them all. Until the 1980's, wrestling was regional, meaning that each wrestling organization focused on a particular part of the country. A typical wrestler would spend a year or two in one territory; when his character started to get stale in that area, he packed up and headed for another territory. Only a handful of wrestlers, such as Gorgeous George, were nationally known.
The AWA (American Wrestling Association) was run out of Minneapolis. Run by Verne Gagne and family, the AWA once held stars like Sergeant Slaughter, Curt Hennig, Nick Bockwinkel and even Hulk Hogan. The Von Erich family ran World Class Championship Wrestling in Dallas, Texas, and other organizations were based out of Memphis, Tennessee (where current WWF announcer Jerry "the King" Lawler first found fame), Hawaii (a territory run by relatives of the Rock) Florida, Georgia and more. The NWA (National Wrestling Alliance, the major part of which became WCW) was a loose alliance of the regional organizations that ran "supercards" where hometown heroes would square off for larger championships.
And then there was the World Wrestling Federation- or, as it was originally known, the World Wide Wrestling Federation. It operated out of the Northeast and its main venue was Madison Square Garden. (Even today in "wrestling industry-speak" a wrestler can refer to "New York" meaning the WWF organization, though the company is technically based out of Connecticut). Vince McMahon, Sr., father of the now-infamous "Mr. McMahon," was the promoter, and his main star from the very beginning of the organization was Bruno Sammartino.
Sammartino was a former bodybuilder from Pittsburgh who, in his time, was unquestionably the king of the WWWF. Bruno headlined over 150 sold out WWWF cards at Madison Square Garden and holds a record for longest WWF title reign, holding the title for over eight years without losing it! In today's wrestling world of quick title changes, it's hard to imagine a full-year title reign, much less an eight-year run.
Bruno had a solid array of power moves, such as the bear hug and the backbreaker, an impressive physique, and most importantly, a strong connection with his fans. In an interview Bruno remarked that after losing the WWWF title for the first time (to Stan Stasiak), there were fans actually crying because he had lost the title. His charisma, though perhaps understated in today's terms, was undeniable.
Another WWWF wrestler who had massive star power was Andre the Giant, though of course anything involved with Andre would involve the word "massive." The French-born Andre was an impressive sight at over seven feet tall and over four hundred pounds. Yet Andre could carry himself like a much smaller man, performing some acrobatic moves that surprised and dazzled fans. But Andre's charm belied his fearsome size and strength, and his popularity made him at one time the highest-paid pro athlete in the world, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
Vince McMahon Sr. died in 1982, and left his company to his son Vince Jr., who had been in charge of one of the smaller parts of the WWWF territory, and he dropped the "W" to rename it WWF, or World Wrestling Federation. This would mean huge changes for the industry. Vince Sr. believed in cooperation between the various regional wrestling organizations. There were times, in fact, when WWF champion Bob Backlund, who reigned in the late 1970's and early 1980's, fought NWA world champion Ric Flair. Both fought AWA champions as well. Each group loaned out talent to the others from time to time when business wasn't up to par. Vince Jr., on the other hand, saw the AWA and NWA as competitors, and decided to run his cards in their parts of the country. Vince Jr.'s WWF was poised to become the first truly national wrestling organization. But one piece of the puzzle was needed, and that was a name so nationally recognizable that the company could actually sustain a national following. The name was Hulk Hogan... and the rest was history.
Hogan at the time was part of the AWA, and a part in one of Sylvester Stallone's Rocky sequels got his name known in a big way. While the Hulk was extraordinarily popular, promoter Verne Gagne refused to put the AWA title on him. (There was a famous match where Hogan apparently beat Nick Bockwinkel for the title; when the referee announced that the decision was reversed, the crowd literally almost rioted.) Gagne's rationale was that Hogan was a lot of charisma, a lot of muscles, but not much wrestling. Gagne was absolutely on the mark about Hogan's strengths and weaknesses, but he misunderstood the public's stance on the issue: if it was between Hogan and pure, technical wrestling, they wanted Hogan, and they wanted him in a big way. After being told in no uncertain terms by Gagne that the AWA belt was out of his range, the Hulk came to the WWF and almost immediately became their champion.
This title change, in January of 1984, made Hogan the focus of the WWF and gave the company the national star power they needed. Almost immediately the WWF took off on the strength of Hulkamania. Not that it was Hogan's stardom and McMahon's marketing savvy alone: as the company began to grow, other talented stars began to head to "New York" and try their hand in the WWF. Rowdy Roddy Piper, who had previously been known for brutal, bloody feuds with Ric Flair and Greg Valentine, came to town and with his clever wisecracks and brawling style, he quickly became Hogan's nemesis. Colorful managers like "Captain" Lou Albano and "Classy" Freddie Blassie brought color to otherwise humorless teams like the Hart Foundation (featuring Bret "Hitman" Hart before he became a superstar in his own right) and the Killer Bees.
This was the first time in wrestling history where "gimmicks," or the addition of nicknames and personas in addition to wrestling skills, became paramount to each athlete. While this disappointed longtime wrestling fans (Bruno Sammartino, the company's top star in the 60's, still refuses to watch modern pro wrestling because of its "sports entertainment" focus), the Hollywoodization of the WWF continued on. Vince McMahon continued to expand in new directions, harnessing the power of pay-per-view television by creating Wrestlemania, now regarded as the focal point of the WWF calendar.
Hogan's popularity was unmatched for the rest of the 80's, despite other big names like Randy "Macho Man" Savage and the Ultimate Warrior. But as the 1990's rolled around, the WWF was showing signs of stagnation. Hogan almost never lost, which meant his matches were becoming predictable. Plus, he was getting restless and began looking to Hollywood for movie roles, eventually leaving the WWF in 1993. However, no one was big enough to replace Hulk Hogan, and so business began to decline. Heroes like "American Made" Lex Luger, Diesel and Bret Hart gave it a good shot, but the WWF's "huge hero vs. evil villain" model no longer worked.
At the same time, McMahon and several other WWF employees were indicted by the federal government for various charges of distributing and selling illegal steroids. During the trial, Hulk Hogan and other wrestlers testified against McMahon and the WWF, admitting they had used steroids. The negative publicity was damaging, and combined with the large threat from Ted Turner's WCW organization, they led to the company struggling to keep from folding.
How did the WWF survive? By changing course once again, casting off "last year's model" and trying a new format. Gimmicks remained an essential part of each wrestler, but now their roles were less cartoonish. Characters like the half-human Mantaur and plumber TL Hopper were discarded, while more focus was placed on the personality of each individual wrestler. Shawn Michaels stopped brown-nosing fans and played up his wisecracking, sneaky persona to create Degeneration X. His partner, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, went from a snobby socialite to the irreverent punk known as Triple H. Athletic, fan-friendly Rocky Miavia became the self-obsessed Rock, and silent Stone Cold Steve Austin turned into the rugged, beer-drinking, cursing "toughest SOB in the WWF." Plus, the company abandoned the traditional good guy-always-fights-bad guy format, pitting everybody against everybody else, leading to some unique feuds.
And of course, this has led to the rebirth of the WWF, which, in its current form, is undoubtedly the most popular wrestling organization of all time. On March 21, 2001, the WWF managed to purchase its sole national competitor, the WCW. As far as it goes, the WWF was now a monopoly in the national scene. But this didn't happen overnight. Just as its current format will play a role in its future, the history of the WWF is part of what it has become. In a recent legal battle with the World Wildlife Fund (Also WWF.), the WWF had to give up its rights to the acronym and change its name. Hence, it is now officially known as World Wrestling Entertainment, or WWE.
Image (Corporate): The ONLY leader in Sports Entertainment.
Image (Product): Anything can happen in the WWE.
The WWE's corporate image spawns from the fact that it has been the most dominant pro wrestling organization in the entirety of the United States. In fact, just like the NBA, the global coverage of the WWE has been a powerful force only the now-defunct WCW came close to reckoning with. By being the ONLY leader in Sports Entertainment, the people who closely follow the WWE know that Vincent K. McMahon Jr.'s business savvy is matched only by his ruthlessness in eliminating the competition. This entails numerous questionable tactics on his part, ranging from the aforementioned steroids distribution, to talent raiding of budding federations in order to prevent it from gaining ground. Most competitors view the WWE with little respect and great fear, simply because of these cutthroat practices, and while this is not a good way to connect with competitors, the WWE's sponsors are nonetheless confident that this is the best pro wrestling company they can turn to.
On the other hand, the WWE's product image can go either way. When one says anything can happen in the WWE, ANYTHING is certainly not an understatement. Events in recent history within the WWE have involved fatal accidents from a rapelling stunt, a gay wedding ceremony, and a necrophilia storyline. While the shock value of these storylines do attract a lot of media attention, and thus give a lot of exposure the WWE, a lot of backlash likewise happens. While sponsors are sure of the fact that the WWE is the best in its genre, it is however unsure of the viewership of the WWE, especially as of recent times. Sponsors, due to much bad publicity caused by the WWE's unpredictability, tend to back out.
On a positive note, the fans of the WWE enjoy its storylines because of its refreshing mix of drama and athleticism. Over the past decade, pro wrestling has been regarded as "The Man's Soap Opera", and while still considered as low-brow entertainment, pro wrestling in general has been more accepted into the mainstream than it was in the early 80's. The storylines of the WWE in particular, are very gripping to the casual fan (Although the self-proclaimed "smarts" in the business tend to find the WWE predictable.), and it's been a known fact that despite the openness, most WWE fans still think that the product is NOT scripted. The sheer power of the PR machine employed by the WWE to still exude this kind of an image despite its openness to being scripted is simply phenomenal.
Media Usage:
The WWE uses two forms of media quite heavily: Television and the Internet. Print, radio and film are secondary, but very crucial as well. Being a televised product, the WWE heavily relies on its TW coverage and syndication to get its product across, and a bulk of its advertisements come from there. It uses television very effectively, as its production quality is very high in comparison to its other competitors that are locally televised. Most of its storylines are teased in elaborate video packages aired on their respective networks, and even some of their wrestlers end up on the news, be it for an upcoming storyline, or, say, a charity event. On the flipside, these same individuals can also be there for the latest criminal offense. Their wrestlers also do guestings on other programs quite often as well.
On the internet front, WWE.com is one of the most frequently-visited sites in the world, generating an average of 50,000 hits a day, much more during Pay-Per-Views and live events. Within its website, a treasure trove of information about your favorite Superstars can be found, and most of their press releases are likewise placed there as soon as they are made available elsewhere for public consumption. Its official website is usually more reliable to check than your daily newspaper if in case you want to know the WWE's stand on anything.
Print media is a necessity for the WWE. Most of its press releases are coursed through there, and not through television. Likewise, they are fond of making full-color print ads that tend to catch the eye, and thus attract people to watch their shows. Radio, through guestings by their personalities, is also used to make their product more known. They rarely rely on radio for news updates, leaving this to TV, Internet, and to a lesser extent, print. Lastly, their use of film is quite apparent in the latest blockbuster hit "The Scorpion King", where Dwayne Johnson did not drop his ring name, The Rock, and used it to instead draw moviegoers through his star power, and likewise, draw moviegoers to watch wrestling even more. Lots of other wrestlers also make cameos in different films, and their association with the WWE is made very clear. Hence, even in film, the WWE is making its product known to its publics.
The Bottomline:
The researcher has been a wrestling fan since 1989, and he can say without a doubt that despite the fact that the WWE is not the best at public relations, the bond Vince McMahon, Jr. managed to make with the fans has been so strong, as to actually surpass all obstacles that faced the company, in the form of bad publicity, upstart rivals, and disgruntled former employees who write tell-all books. The magic exuded by Mr. McMahon is simply beyond logic: how else can you explain the fact that the WWE is the ONLY national wrestling company left in North America? VInce could've done all the underhanded tactics he'd like, but if he didn't come out with a good product in the first place, nobody would've been watching his program, and no matter how small the competition, the ratings will always tell the story.
Indeed, as far as public relations, in terms of its primary public (its audience), the WWE has certainly achieved a milestone. Where else can you see a company that swears it's lying, and yet nobody believes it?
That's the bottomline. It's true! It's true!
Haha-haha-haha! I aced Fr. Reyes' quiz today! I finally got the hang of knowing what to expect from him. I hope this continues, and I may still end up seeing a perfect semester for myself... haha-haha-haha!!!
Let's get one thing straight about yesterday's problem, and why I chose to blog in the first place: yesterday was really messed up. Fact is, even today, I deliberately decided not to approach her when I saw her. I feel that she hasn't been herself lately, and I'd give her some time to revert back to herself. I choose to blog not because I'm so totally depressed I'll be engaging myself in a downward spiral (The title of my in-the-works short story, btw.), but so I can get it out of my system, and hence, you wouldn't hear me talk about it in other venues much...
Maia, you gave good advice. It wasn't bad. What was bad was how she ran away from a problem. I didn't. She did. My fault? Not in this respect. Thus, I took your advice because I knew it was the right thing to do. Oh, and sorry if I've been texting you a lot lately... just making my monthly bill hit a nice, round figure. Seriously, nagpaparamdam lang ako, at ganun talaga ako. If it's a little too much... I'll ease off a bit, don't worry... methinks overtexting is what got her so hot under the collar (In a non-sensual kind of way.) with me... And thanx for the advice. The same gratitude goes out to the other people who gave advice: Madame no Miko, and Lizard.
On the lighter side, funny stuff on the Otaku Boards right now... a gossip thread, with one of them most likely pointing at me and my so-called non-existent girlfriend. Here's a hint: you guys have seen her already. Trust me.
One more thing: me and my so-called non-existent girlfriend, Mary Grace, ate at Aling Banang's for the umpteenth time last night. Anyone in the Centerpoint area, I highly recommend you to eat there. Imagine: halo-halo for only 30 bucks! The catch: instead of shaved ice, it's ice cream! how about that? It's near N. Domingo street, if you're wondering. Do try it out there. Recommended meals: Tapsilog, Litsong Kawali, at Porksilog.
See you later, jabronis!
Let's get one thing straight about yesterday's problem, and why I chose to blog in the first place: yesterday was really messed up. Fact is, even today, I deliberately decided not to approach her when I saw her. I feel that she hasn't been herself lately, and I'd give her some time to revert back to herself. I choose to blog not because I'm so totally depressed I'll be engaging myself in a downward spiral (The title of my in-the-works short story, btw.), but so I can get it out of my system, and hence, you wouldn't hear me talk about it in other venues much...
Maia, you gave good advice. It wasn't bad. What was bad was how she ran away from a problem. I didn't. She did. My fault? Not in this respect. Thus, I took your advice because I knew it was the right thing to do. Oh, and sorry if I've been texting you a lot lately... just making my monthly bill hit a nice, round figure. Seriously, nagpaparamdam lang ako, at ganun talaga ako. If it's a little too much... I'll ease off a bit, don't worry... methinks overtexting is what got her so hot under the collar (In a non-sensual kind of way.) with me... And thanx for the advice. The same gratitude goes out to the other people who gave advice: Madame no Miko, and Lizard.
On the lighter side, funny stuff on the Otaku Boards right now... a gossip thread, with one of them most likely pointing at me and my so-called non-existent girlfriend. Here's a hint: you guys have seen her already. Trust me.
One more thing: me and my so-called non-existent girlfriend, Mary Grace, ate at Aling Banang's for the umpteenth time last night. Anyone in the Centerpoint area, I highly recommend you to eat there. Imagine: halo-halo for only 30 bucks! The catch: instead of shaved ice, it's ice cream! how about that? It's near N. Domingo street, if you're wondering. Do try it out there. Recommended meals: Tapsilog, Litsong Kawali, at Porksilog.
See you later, jabronis!
Wednesday, November 27, 2002
IC: Marcelle is officially in despair.
OOC: Yep. I can't believe it. I took maia's advice, and tried to speak to her in a civil manner. The answer? "I have homework kasi, eh..." then she proceeds to "do" her homework, and CHAT with her friends. Wow. Is she joining a lame excuse contest or something? Chee...
What in heaven's name did I do to deserve this? I've been so nice to her, and I haven't done anything dastardly enough to her for me to deserve this. I know I'm repeating myself from two days ago, but damn, it bears repeating.
All I wanted was to be her friend. No more than that, no less than that. I'm happy with my girlfriend, and if she, for one moment, would actually think I'd give Grace up for her just like that, then I hope she gives me more credit than that. It's been really distressing for me to go walk up to her and be completely embarrassed like that. Why in Hades would she act like that towards me? I've done meaner things to people I've never even met, and I managed to patch things up with them!
IC: Marcelle hopes this whole thing gets resolved soon. It doesn't do any good for him to be going through this, and he realizes half of the people at OB are grateful none of this is ending up on the threads... :) Nonetheless, it's still quite a quandary he is faced with...
Sheesh.
OOC: Yep. I can't believe it. I took maia's advice, and tried to speak to her in a civil manner. The answer? "I have homework kasi, eh..." then she proceeds to "do" her homework, and CHAT with her friends. Wow. Is she joining a lame excuse contest or something? Chee...
What in heaven's name did I do to deserve this? I've been so nice to her, and I haven't done anything dastardly enough to her for me to deserve this. I know I'm repeating myself from two days ago, but damn, it bears repeating.
All I wanted was to be her friend. No more than that, no less than that. I'm happy with my girlfriend, and if she, for one moment, would actually think I'd give Grace up for her just like that, then I hope she gives me more credit than that. It's been really distressing for me to go walk up to her and be completely embarrassed like that. Why in Hades would she act like that towards me? I've done meaner things to people I've never even met, and I managed to patch things up with them!
IC: Marcelle hopes this whole thing gets resolved soon. It doesn't do any good for him to be going through this, and he realizes half of the people at OB are grateful none of this is ending up on the threads... :) Nonetheless, it's still quite a quandary he is faced with...
Sheesh.
Tuesday, November 26, 2002
Here's the thing... I guess I'll be in character at times, but not all the time. Since I LOOOVVVEEE writing in third person, I suppose I'd give in to that here and there, but conventionally, I won't.
With that out of the way, can I just say that hearing HHH coming back on RAW TV so soon is such bad news? Honestly, RAW was doing better without his presence. Much as nostalgia is great, yet another HBK vs. HHH match will begin to bore everyone to tears... I really hate the way Paul Levesque uses his backstage influence to give him such a prominent role on the program... it's not like he's doing the company a big favor by being there... and for a heel, I can't understand why he's so dominant without having to resort much to underhanded tactics. It's completely inane.
As I said in an earlier post, it looks like Fr. Reyes is beginning to grow on me, after all. He's funny and all, but I'm still on a wait and see mode, as to whether or not he'd just be fine. One thing's for sure: I'd have to bleed to get an A from him this semester.
While my links section isn't up yet, I sure hope people wouldn't mind linking my blog to theirs if they deem it worthy... :)
Overall, I guess I don't have much to worry about, though yesterday's issue remains to be settled... hence, no third person today.
One last thing... when you get the chance, do take Jim Paredes as a teacher. You wouldn't know the stories he can give! Example: Did you know that the song "Magkaisa" by Tito Sotto was a song commissioned by Imelda Marcos? Simply put, it wasn't as "People Power" as they'd have us believe... that's why APO composed the song "Handog ng Pilipino sa Mundo", as an antithesis. The APO Hiking Society? A renegade group? Wow! :)
With that out of the way, can I just say that hearing HHH coming back on RAW TV so soon is such bad news? Honestly, RAW was doing better without his presence. Much as nostalgia is great, yet another HBK vs. HHH match will begin to bore everyone to tears... I really hate the way Paul Levesque uses his backstage influence to give him such a prominent role on the program... it's not like he's doing the company a big favor by being there... and for a heel, I can't understand why he's so dominant without having to resort much to underhanded tactics. It's completely inane.
As I said in an earlier post, it looks like Fr. Reyes is beginning to grow on me, after all. He's funny and all, but I'm still on a wait and see mode, as to whether or not he'd just be fine. One thing's for sure: I'd have to bleed to get an A from him this semester.
While my links section isn't up yet, I sure hope people wouldn't mind linking my blog to theirs if they deem it worthy... :)
Overall, I guess I don't have much to worry about, though yesterday's issue remains to be settled... hence, no third person today.
One last thing... when you get the chance, do take Jim Paredes as a teacher. You wouldn't know the stories he can give! Example: Did you know that the song "Magkaisa" by Tito Sotto was a song commissioned by Imelda Marcos? Simply put, it wasn't as "People Power" as they'd have us believe... that's why APO composed the song "Handog ng Pilipino sa Mundo", as an antithesis. The APO Hiking Society? A renegade group? Wow! :)
Monday, November 25, 2002
Marcelle could've fallen in love with her, but he didn't.
Yep. He didn't. Despite the fact that she's Chinese, and she wears glasses, and that's exactly his template, he didn't. He's very happy with Grace right now, as they've been together for three years already, so why even fan the flames of regret, to begin with? She's a great person, she'd make a wonderful girlfriend, but Marcelle wouldn't even dare try while he's attached to someone very special...
But let's be clear about one thing: had things been just a little different, he would have fallen for her. But things are not different... so Marcelle is happy with being her friend. Hopefully, Marcelle could even be her close friend. That's why he's been so nice to her, though maybe he's guilty of being a little too sweet, for lack of a better term...
So why in Hades is she ticked off at Marcelle?
Honestly, the logic escapes him... he's been nothing short of gallant towards her, and at each step of the way, he's made it perfectly clear that nothing romantic is to come out of it... they joked about it a lot in the past, and she would be the last person Marcelle would expect to take it seriously. Yet when he called her last night, there was a certain kind of coldness to her voice... and she refused to answer the all-important question: "Did Marcelle do anything wrong to her?"
That very refusal to answer the question, amid all silly excuses to get off of the telephone, was more than enough of a signal to Marcelle that something is wrong. Something is very wrong... but why?
Was it because he was too nice to her? Was it because there was one flirtatious joke too many, and it finally got to her? Was it something stupid that Marcelle did? Something stupid that Marcelle said? Was it something so vile, yet Marcelle has absolutely no idea about it? Or is he just being plain paranoid, to the point that there's nothing to even worry about to begin with (Though this is probably not the case... you had to hear the conversation yourself to agree...)? Or, quite shamelessly, and even less likely so than the latter one, is it because she doesn't want to feel too attached to him? Is this friendship getting too close for comfort?
Marcelle is not going to go out here and tell you that he's innocent, that he did no wrong. For all he knows, he probably did something wrong. All he really wants to know is what. Doesn't everyone deserve to know what?
Marcelle seems to have this sad, sad effect on the people who are close to him...
Yep. He didn't. Despite the fact that she's Chinese, and she wears glasses, and that's exactly his template, he didn't. He's very happy with Grace right now, as they've been together for three years already, so why even fan the flames of regret, to begin with? She's a great person, she'd make a wonderful girlfriend, but Marcelle wouldn't even dare try while he's attached to someone very special...
But let's be clear about one thing: had things been just a little different, he would have fallen for her. But things are not different... so Marcelle is happy with being her friend. Hopefully, Marcelle could even be her close friend. That's why he's been so nice to her, though maybe he's guilty of being a little too sweet, for lack of a better term...
So why in Hades is she ticked off at Marcelle?
Honestly, the logic escapes him... he's been nothing short of gallant towards her, and at each step of the way, he's made it perfectly clear that nothing romantic is to come out of it... they joked about it a lot in the past, and she would be the last person Marcelle would expect to take it seriously. Yet when he called her last night, there was a certain kind of coldness to her voice... and she refused to answer the all-important question: "Did Marcelle do anything wrong to her?"
That very refusal to answer the question, amid all silly excuses to get off of the telephone, was more than enough of a signal to Marcelle that something is wrong. Something is very wrong... but why?
Was it because he was too nice to her? Was it because there was one flirtatious joke too many, and it finally got to her? Was it something stupid that Marcelle did? Something stupid that Marcelle said? Was it something so vile, yet Marcelle has absolutely no idea about it? Or is he just being plain paranoid, to the point that there's nothing to even worry about to begin with (Though this is probably not the case... you had to hear the conversation yourself to agree...)? Or, quite shamelessly, and even less likely so than the latter one, is it because she doesn't want to feel too attached to him? Is this friendship getting too close for comfort?
Marcelle is not going to go out here and tell you that he's innocent, that he did no wrong. For all he knows, he probably did something wrong. All he really wants to know is what. Doesn't everyone deserve to know what?
Marcelle seems to have this sad, sad effect on the people who are close to him...
Thursday, November 21, 2002
It's becoming painfully clear to Marcelle that this early, a perfect A-everything semester is next to the impossible dream. That Theology Professor of his decided to ask an inane question exclusive to the readings he gave on the day that he rejected Marcelle from his class to be late. Is it fair? Marcelle doesn't care. Is Marcelle ticked off? You're damned right he's ticked of! It's not easy to take that you'd review all night for an article, and the next day, he decides to do something cute and ask you something you never really expected to be asked. Is he even Christian? Marcelle hopes Fr. Reyes eventually grows on him, or else he'd be stuck with a clunker for the rest of the semester....
As for the results of last Sunday's Survivor Series, Marcelle can't understand why, of all people, did Shawn Michaels have to win the title? Honestly. What does that do for the credibility of the other four men involved in the match? RVD, Booker T, and Chris Jericho are all great individuals who have had their share of paying A LOT OF DUES. It's time the WWE realizes that nostalgia kick like HBK will fizzle after a while, the way the Hogan nostalgia did a little after he won the title at Backlash...
More so, let's face facts: Six matches in a Pay-Per-View is an abomination. Really now!
As for the results of last Sunday's Survivor Series, Marcelle can't understand why, of all people, did Shawn Michaels have to win the title? Honestly. What does that do for the credibility of the other four men involved in the match? RVD, Booker T, and Chris Jericho are all great individuals who have had their share of paying A LOT OF DUES. It's time the WWE realizes that nostalgia kick like HBK will fizzle after a while, the way the Hogan nostalgia did a little after he won the title at Backlash...
More so, let's face facts: Six matches in a Pay-Per-View is an abomination. Really now!
Tuesday, November 19, 2002
Marcelle is completely flabbergasted... is his Theology teacher this Draconic? He comes from a class that ends late, then gets rejected at Fr. Reyes' class! He wouldn't accept any reasons... just turn around and walk away... yeesh! To think Marcelle failed his first quiz with the guy... this does smell like trouble, to say the least...
Regardless, Marcelle would like to thank Maia for being such an angel and helping him out with the shout-outs. It's just unfortunate that the site she gave him doesn't really work, so he can't make a links corner just yet. Thank you very much, nonetheless!
Regardless, Marcelle would like to thank Maia for being such an angel and helping him out with the shout-outs. It's just unfortunate that the site she gave him doesn't really work, so he can't make a links corner just yet. Thank you very much, nonetheless!
Monday, November 11, 2002
First day of classes today, and Marcelle's about to work on my novel real soon. He thinks he should get to doing a short story first, though, so he'd get the feel of it again... expect things to start cooking by the end of this month. It's too bad he doesn't know how to write a good lemon fic yet, though. Marcelle thinks it takes a lot of talent to write a classy one, and that's what mainime's got a lot of... maybe it's time to look to the experts once more?
Monday, November 04, 2002
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