Pinoy brand taps Zac Efron as endorser

Zac Efron (Photo courtesy of Penshoppe)The war of the billboards continues, as bigger and better endorsers are coming in to endorse local retail brands. Gone are the days when a local celebrity would be enough to cause a stir among the masses. Now, people wait with bated breath to see the next big international star gracing the stretch of Edsa. Penshoppe has already brought us Thai cutie Mario Maurer and Gossip Girl’s bad boy Ed Westwick. So, topping that would have to be with an A-List star.

Zac Efron has never done an endorsement, so this partnership with Penshoppe is a first for him. So what made him decide to say yes? “ I got to know the history of the brand and I like how it’s an original Pinoy brand,” he says. “ We have this good family friends who are Filipino and they urged me to say yes. They said it was the top brand in the Philippines, “he adds. In fact, Efron’s father has been to the country several times. “ I’ve heard stories and seen pictures so I can’t wait to see it all myself,” says Zac, whose knowledge of Pinoy things is quite impressive. He has eaten and cooked chicken adobo, likes halo-halo, and mentioned “that purple stuff” (ube) as something he thought was really good. “The fact that he chose a 100% Filipino brand is something all Filipinos can be proud of,” says Berni Liu, Golden ABC’s head honcho. “We are a 100% Filipino brand that is going international. A great way to start is when our clothes are proudly worn by global superstars.”

Efron's claim to fame started with the teen hit movie High School Musical, but unlike many young actors who completely disappear after their brush with fame, he has continuously been challenging himself by carefully choosing roles that will take him to the next level of his career. He recently voiced a thirteen-year- old character in the movie version of Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax and his next movie The Lucky One shows a more mature side of him. “I think that’s what happens when you are doing what you love-you raise the bar and continue to challenge yourself,” he quips. He hopes to visit the country sometime this year. “I’ve heard so much about the place,” he says. “The food, the beaches. I can’t wait to visit.”

Looks like we’re the lucky ones!