BEHIND BENCH_BODY 300

Trust Bench to tickle the public’s fancy. After highly successful campaigns showing Pussycat doll Nicole Scherzinger and Superbod Jon Mulllaly in their Bench Body billboards, the retail giant is at it again.

This time, Bench brings together hoop and TV hottie Bruce Quebral and bombshell Rufa Mae Quinto in a sizzling Bench Body campaign, inspired by the hugely successful movie, 300.

Shot by ace lensman Ronnie Salvacion, with creative direction by stylist extraordinaire Noel Manapat, the photos highlight the Bench endorsers’ hot physiques clad in sexy Bench Body underwear. "We kept the highlight on the endorser's physiques, maintained the heroic attitude," Noel explains, "but used different styling and lighting techniques to create otherworldly images that best depict the product and the people who wear it."



The team was highly motivated by the movie 300, a story of 300 Spartans who fight it out against an army of over one million soldiers—a fictionalized retelling of the Battle of the Thermopylae. It was the perfect background for the sizzling Bench body numbers Bruce and Rufa Mae donned for the shoot. "The graphic quality of the movie 300 was the inspiration, with the characters' ripped bodies set against the visually arresting backgrounds," Noel further points out. "As an inspiration, it provided the starting point for us to interpret our own original version, creating characters to suit the personality of the models, as we did not want to copy the movie imagery."

And they picked the perfect characters for the campaign. Bruce Quebral, who we first saw in the UAAP hard court as a player for the UP Fighting Maroons, is the newest face to grace the Bench campaigns. He shot to fame after doing Pinoy Big Brother, and recently concluded the teleserye Margarita (where he was paired with fellow PBB alum Wendy Valdez). Besides posing for Bench shoots, Bruce is busy doing TV guestings and out–of–town shows. "I’m grateful (that I was picked for the campaign)," Bruce enthuses. "Not everyone is given this kind of opportunity and exposure; I feel so blessed for being included in this campaign." He was at first nervous at the thought of posing alongside other Bench endorsers (which include Francine Prieto, Alessandra de Rossi, Jake Cuenca, among others). "This campaign has almost all the big stars of Bench, and considering that I’m just starting my showbiz career, being part of this campaign is a really big thing for me."

One big star of Bench that Bruce had to work with is sexy comedienne Rufa Mae Quinto who is no stranger to big productions like this. She’s busy with multiple projects, among them a movie entitled 4 Dapat, Dapat 4 showing in early October and two other movies in production (Pasuklob and Desperadas) and regular shows Bubble Gang, SOP, Showbiz Central, Marimar (she’s the voice behind Marimar’s cat) and a new daily game show Whammy Push Your Luck, all on GMA7. "Sensya na ha, wala akong masyadong ganang magtrabaho lately," she laughs.




Still, she found time to do the Bench Body campaign, which was a dream project for her. "Syempre I'm so proud and honored…like an honor student," Rufa Mae smiles. "Matagal ko nang dream to be a Bench model at natupad na yan ngayon. Di ba after ni Nicole (of Pussycat Dolls), ako naman... hahaha! Ibang leveling na to!" She especially relished working with Ronnie, Noel, makeup artist Krist Bansuelo, and the rest of the Bench team. "The best team ever," she beams.

Both Bruce and Rufa Mae swear by the Bench items they wear—they don’t just model them. "I like their shirts, polo shirts, slim cut jeans, and of course, the underwear," Bruce shares. Rufa Mae, for her part, considers her Bench Body underwear as her favorite Bench garment. "The designs are beautiful, very comfortable, and talagang super support siya—kahit anong mangyari walang mag- hehelloow!"

For your own sexy Bench Body number, visit their stores located at Robinsons Galleria and Robinsons Ermita, SM Megamall, SM North Edsa , SM Manila, SM Baguio , SM Lucena, SM Centerpoint, SM Fairview , SM Sucat , SM Pampanga , SM Cavite , Alabang Town Center, Glorietta.