Christopher Lao informs you about car insurance

Christopher Lao was the butt of jokes when his car got caught in deep floodwaters. He was called names, mocked, and humiliated online which to me went on overdrive. I was not very happy with the reactions of some of my twitter followers. I thought what if that happened to them. Sure, Lao made a mistake but did they have to repeatedly humiliate him online?

“According to Lao, he had gone through a depression after a version of the news report, shortened by a viewer to include just him, was uploaded on YouTube and shared widely, triggering ridicule on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. The original news story featured other victims of Typhoon Kabayan. Lao had driven his car into a flooded street in Quezon City where it began to drift as a GMA News camera crew was shooting in the vicinity. ”

Through it all, Lao never lashed back at them.

Guess who has the last laugh?

BPI Auto Loans tapped him for a commercial to promote the bank’s car insurance policy that “Nature does not keep you informed”. This video may just be released to make it viral before the actual TV commercial comes out.

VIctims of online bullying and harassment need not fret over their fate.

Carlos Conde adds “Don’t look now but the controversial Chris Lao has just presented victims of online bullying, at least in the Philippines, a way to not just make money out of the experience but to get back at their tormentors. Instead of cowering, silenced, they can tap their own fame or notoriety to, as @carlosceldran put it, own it. In the context of social media, it somehow makes sense, both for the bullied and the advertiser . Online and elsewhere, he who has the last laugh triumphs.”

@juanxi says “good examples of crisis management — Maricar Reyes and Christopher Lao. Kumita pa! Make it or break it on youtube!”

Chris Lao now adds that “”Some good finally came out of this crisis. It became an opportunity. I can now pay for the tuition of my daughter.”

Watch the Car insurance ad:

Watch the reactions on Twitter: