RODJUN Cruz, Dianne Medina, and even her cousin, beauty queen-actress Maxine Medina, couldn’t be more proud of being a live seller, especially if their hard work could earn them millions of pesos in just a few hours.
The couple had just launched their new baby project — a live commerce and creator agency which serves as a liaison between influencers and product labels for content creation, including live selling campaigns.
At a press conference, Medina, who serves as CEO of her own company DM Studios, said they aim to professionalize live selling as a powerful marketing tool for brand partnerships, and she personally does not feel ashamed doing something worthwhile, at the same time be able to help fellow celebrities and influencers earn extra income.
The TV broadcaster and award-winning live-seller said that while it is inevitable for some people to belittle live selling as a lesser profession, she always tries to remember her purpose for why she is doing this.
“It’s really inevitable when they see live sellers. The tendency is they think, ‘Ah nagla-live selling na lang sya, baka wala na syang project.’ But for me, it really all boils down to your vision and objectives. Why are you doing this, what is your purpose? Kase ako, my purpose is to share my God-given talent to others and for me to use this instrument to be able to help others also. You’re changing their lives,” she said.
Still, being on camera live for at least three hours straight and being on her best behavior while bashers spew petty criticisms to ruin her composure is no easy feat, but she finds this job fulfilling.
Medina also admitted that earlier this month, she was able to earn her biggest haul yet — P25 million in gross merchandise value (GMV), while Cruz’s biggest GMV was P15 million. Maxine exceeded her target and reached P4.5 million GMV.
Medina said that she is happy that the stigma of live selling is already being lifted as more celebrities join the bandwagon.
She cited a study which stated that there is a 10 percent increase in rate conversion for live selling, while about 70% of consumers prefer buying through live commerce instead of regular e-commerce platforms because they want interaction and product demonstration.
Cruz, for his part, said he is proud of his wife’s newest business endeavor, which he supports one hundred percent, being its vice president for PR and marketing. This, despite his being active in show business.
As for bashers, they pay them no heed; their time is too precious to waste on negativity, they said. (Evangeline Valderrama © Philippine Daily Inquirer)
