Page 45 - Forbes - Asia (October 2019)
P. 45
SPECIAL ADVERTISING FEATURE
RS Francisco and Sam Verzosa with reigning The rise in public awareness of the company as a result of the partnerships with
Miss Universe and Filipina, Catriona Gray. celebrities show that Francisco and Verzosa are on the right track.
ventures, some of which thrived by selling products to members at a 50% discount, philanthropic events in Metro Manila’s urban
shoddy products. ensuring they could make enough money poor communities. In May last year, the firm
To win the public’s trust, Francisco and when they resold the products at the sug- also got on board as brand ambassador the
Verzosa searched high and low for trust- gested retail price. Because of the huge undefeated boxing champion Floyd May-
worthy manufacturers in the U.S. to develop markup, it was relatively easy for industri- weather, who gave the company a ringing
and produce the company’s food supple- ous members to make money, says Ver- endorsement, saying “I can’t be in the back,
ment capsules. “Yes, we can easily access zosa. “People who couldn’t find jobs found I can’t be in the middle, I have to be in the
and afford suppliers from China, Thailand, a good opportunity to make a good living FRONTROW.”
India or Philippines, but we still prefer the with FRONTROW,” he says. Traditionally, direct sellers have avoided
safety and efficacy that U.S.-made products These early steps put FRONTROW on a advertising, preferring to spread their mes-
are known for,” says Francisco, explaining solid footing. But a third initiative made sage via word-of-mouth or small events
why they chose to base their laboratory in it a household name and fueled its rapid such as Tupperware parties. But the FRON-
Ontario, California to make FRONTROW’s growth in recent years. In December 2017, TROW founders have a rather non-con-
supplements. Meanwhile, when it launched the company tied up with the Miss Uni- formist mindset. “If the industry is not into
a cosmetics line, it turned to a company in verse Organization and brought to the celebrity partnerships, then we’ll try it,” says
South Korea that also toll manufactures for a Philippines that year’s newly-crowned Francisco. “We don’t want to be like any
number of leading global cosmetics brands. Miss Universe—South Africa’s Demi-Leigh other multi-level marketing company,” adds
Next, it built up a network of distributors Nel-Peters—and the past two years’ win- Verzosa.
and trained them how to sell the U.S.-made ners—the Philippines’ Pia Wurtzbach and The rapid growth of FRONTROW’s mem-
food supplements and Korean cosmetics, France’s Iris Mittenaere—for a charity ball. bership and the rise in public awareness
as well as enlist co-distributors. It sold the The trio also graced some of FRONTROW’s of the company as a result of the celebrity
partnerships show that Francisco and Ver-
zosa are on the right track. They have also
switched their efforts to paying it forward
and have become profoundly active in char-
itable endeavors through their foundation,
FRONTROW Cares.
At a time when rapid advances in digital
technology are disrupting traditional indus-
tries, the company is helping create a path
for people to thrive amid the uncertainty. As
long-term employment gives way to short-
term gigs, entrepreneurship has emerged as
a viable alternative. And FRONTROW is a per-
fect partner for self-starters seeking to build
better lives not only in the Philippines but
elsewhere in the world as well.
Learn more about FRONTROW through their
Undefeated boxing champion Floyd Mayweather is also one of FRONTROW’s brand ambassadors. website: frontrowofficial.com.
