Accel means excel

The Catholic community celebrated the Blessed Virgin Mary’s birthday last Thursday.

In a Pasig warehouse that day, a group of over 50 devotees attended a noon Mass to toast not only Mama Mary’s birthday but also the fourth anniversary of a local sports shoe and apparel brand that’s taken the country by storm.

There were blue balloons with the inscription "Happy Birthday, Mama Mary" in the Accel showroom where the Mass was held. After the Mass, scapulars were distributed to the officers, staff and guests of Sporteum–the company that owns Accel.

It’s remarkable that a local brand has been able to make headway in a market long dominated by Nike, Adidas, Reebok, And 1, Skechers, New Balance, Puma, Asics and other popular foreign tags.

Praise the Lord, you could almost hear Sporteum president Willie Ortiz–who goes to Mass everyday–saying. Surely, Someone up there is looking after Accel.

Within a short period of time since its introduction, Accel has penetrated the consciousness of consumers in a big way through aggressive marketing and promotions. It was the country’s official outfitter for the 2002 Busan Asian Games and the 2004 Athens Olympics and is also providing footwear and apparel for the Filipino athletes competing at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games late this year.

Accel has sponsored the Mitsubishi International Tennis Championships, the Miss Earth Philippines pageant, the JVC Badminton Open and the Celebrity Sportsfest among others. It’s the brand of choice of Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) teams Talk ‘N’ Text, Air 21 and Barangay Ginebra and pros Asi Taulava, Mark Caguioa and Jay-Jay Helterbrand. Additionally, Accel is the brand worn by the Mapua, University of the Philippines, La Salle, Adamson, San Beda varsities, at least five Philippine Basketball League teams and the San Miguel Corp. national team. Referees who work the major, minor and varsity leagues all wear Accel shoes.

Accel, which recently broke into the sports leisure market with singer Christine Reyes as a prime endorser, has also embarked on a serious campaign to reach out to the youth through playground-type basketball competitions. Nike has its Battlegrounds and 3-on-3 while Adidas, its successful Streetball program. Accel, for its part, hatched the idea of a nationwide three-point shootout challenge supervised by no less than PBA legend Allan (Triggerman) Caidic.

The shootout culminates in the finals at the SM Megamall on Oct. 15 after 20 qualifying stops all over the country. Last Friday, a new record of 32 points was posted in the Chiang Kai Shek eliminations, eclipsing the mark of 29 previously set in Ilocos, Naga and Letran. Another stop is scheduled at the University of Rizal on Sept. 16.

Caidic, who makes it a point to show up for most of the qualifying rounds, said the response to the shootout has been unbelievable.

"Everybody wants to play and it’s easy to join because you don’t need to put together a team," said Caidic. "It’s an individual competition. If you lose, you blame only yourself for not hitting the shots. You can’t imagine how many people sign up to play wherever we go."

Caidic, incidentally, is in the process of finalizing the design of his own signature Accel shoe. It will be called the "Triggerman." A shadow logo of Caidic elevating for a left-handed jumpshot–similar to the PBA logo and Michael Jordan’s ‘jumpman’ trademark–will be the shoe’s symbol along with his jersey No. 8. A book on Caidic’s career is also in the works.

Sporteum chairman Philip Go said Superbrand, a group of marketing experts in the country, recently accorded Accel the status of ‘superbrand,’ elevating it to ‘star’ status. Another reputable organization, National Consumers, cited Accel for producing the best badminton shoes.

Go attested to Accel’s rising popularity. He owns 11 Sports Central stores in a partnership with SM and said Accel is among the top six sellers of 28 brands his outlets carry. Sports Central is found in SM malls in Luzon. Baguio and San Fernando (Pampanga) are two of the fastest moving store sites outside of Metro Manila.

Go said Accel shoes are manufactured in three factories in China. The designs are executed by Filipinos in consultation with the Chinese manufacturers. The apparel is outsourced locally. Quality is a priority, noted Go, and Accel representatives regularly travel to inspect the production line in the Mainland.

Caidic was at the Pasig warehouse and office to join in the anniversary festivities that included a sumptuous lunch of pansit, lechon, fish fillet, vegetables and chicken. Ginebra players Jay-Jay Helterbrand and Migs Noble came, too, fresh from playing in a practice game against San Miguel Beer (Ginebra lost by two). Accompanying them were San Miguel Corp. national team assistant manager Robert Non, Chito Loyzaga and Manny Liwag.

Talking sports during lunch were Non, Caidic and Loyzaga.

Non said San Miguel coach Joseph Uichico got his wish in plucking Paolo Hubalde in the draft.

"Tinago ni coach Jong si Paolo," said Non. "The first time I saw him, I thought he was (Alex) Cabagnot. He’s a left-handed point guard. Another new San Miguel player is Chris Calaguio who works very hard and is a big addition to the team."

Loyzaga said he’ll be busy as the San Miguel overseer for the national teams in athletics, lawn bowls and petanque at the SEA Games. Caidic will oversee boxing and baseball.

Like millions of Filipinos, Loyzaga said he’s hoping the country’s suspension by FIBA (Federation Internationale de Basketball) is lifted soon so the national team can play in the SEA Games and go for the wildcard at the World Championships in Saitama next year.

Loyzaga said he’ll try to convince his father, Caloy, to attend the World Championships. Caloy was voted one of the world’s top cagers when the Philippines took third place at the championships in Rio de Janeiro in 1954.