Manny Pacquiao selfies were part of Samsung sponsorship
Those watching the Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather fight Saturday night and the build-up the week before the bout may have noticed Pac-Man’s proclivity for taking selfies.
Pacquiao took a selfie prior to his weigh-in, and then he did the same on his way to the ring before the big fight.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but those pics weren’t taken because Manny fancies himself a teenager and planned to share it with his best pals over Snapchat. Rather, Pacquiao signed an endorsement deal with Samsung and was just employing a creative product placement technique.
Here is the selfie Pacquiao took prior to the weigh-in. Notice how he tagged it mentioning the Samsung Galaxy S6 phone:
Quick pic before the weigh-in with my #GalaxyS6. #MayPac pic.twitter.com/uyxbWrDVbm
— Manny Pacquiao (@MannyPacquiao) May 2, 2015
Then as everyone watching the fight saw, Pacquiao stopped before making his way into the ring to take a selfie with his entourage:
14 years in the gym for 1 night in the ring. #MayPac pic.twitter.com/VWWxeEkyN9
— Manny Pacquiao (@MannyPacquiao) May 3, 2015
These highly-visible selfies are part of a marketing strategy for Samsung that has been successful. David Ortiz sort of started it when he ambushed President Obama with one at the White House. Selfies were later banned as a result. Then at last year’s NFL draft, Sammy Watkins got a selfie with Commissioner Goodell.
As part of his partnership with Samsung, Pacquiao also created a behind-the-scenes video sponsored by Samsung:
“I thought it was important for me to give the fans this access into my Fight Week life because they made this fight happen,” Pacquiao said of the video. “They waited five years for this fight. I truly believe they willed this fight to happen. They deserve to see how I am preparing myself for an event that has captured the world’s attention. I am so grateful to Samsung for giving me this incredible technology so that I am able to share my experiences with the fans. It has really been a lot of fun.”
You may have also seen a few of his more conventional Samsung commercials: