The game of soccer, and especially the World Cup, is globally popular and specifically appeals to the fastest growing demographic group in the U.S., Latinos. So, it is an understatement when marketing experts say that targeting Latinos with ad campaigns before and during the World Cup will pay off tremendously in the long run. As a result, this had me thinking; being that the World Cup is a couple of months away, I wanted to see what the major brands were doing for the World Cup and how they’re appealing to Latinos.
Coca Cola – “Moments of Happiness” Campaign
Coca-Cola’s Moment of Happiness campaign invites people around the world to turn in video clips of “Moments of Happiness” that will be featured in their “The World is Ours’” campaign anthem. Coca-Cola will receive submissions from across the globe that is expected to capture a wide-range and diverse audience, just like World Cup teams and its fans. 11 of the 24 teams playing in the World Cup have a large Latino demographic, so I’m sure the list of clips will be full of Spanish-speaking soccer fanatics.
Budweiser – “Rise As One” Campaign
Budweiser is not only commonly popular at Latino parties, but Latinos are one of the largest demographics that purchase the Annheiser-Busch beer. In the Rise As One campaign, Budweiser celebrates the world’s favorite game and its role in inspiring fans to celebrate the moments that unites the global community. Budweiser encourages World Cup fans to celebrate these moments together with an ice-cold Bud in their hands.
SONY – “We Are One” Campaign
The We Are One campaign by SONY is their 2014 World Cup campaign targeting loyal soccer fans that, regardless of rankings and speculations, have the highest hope for their country to win it all this year. When looking at the top 20 teams in the FIFA world rankings, seven are from Spanish-speaking countries, including the U.S. You can bet those countries are very optimistic about their team’s chances of raising the World Cup trophy in July.
VISA – “#welcometobrazil” campaign
When it comes to targeting Latinos, VISA’s campaign could also be effective in targeting our demographic. Not only is VISA using popular franchises like The Simpsons and Star Wars to promote their #welcometobrazil campaign, they are also including the hashtag as part of their title to persuade a younger audience. This is the perfect age bracket to target if VISA is trying to appeal to Latinos, as the average age for U.S. Latinos is 27, and we are the fastest and largest population in the U.S. utilizing technology and social media. I anticipate the hashtag “#welcometobrazil” is likely to be used plenty of times during the World Cup by not only younger Latinos, but Latinos of all ages.
NIKE – “Risk Everything” Campaign
As if NIKE needed to put together a strategic campaign to appeal to Latinos, they put a global campaign that will not only pull in die-hard soccer fans, but Latinos and their friends who play the game. Their Risk Everything campaign is directed to those soccer players and fans that cannot live without the game and will do anything and everything possible to be part of it. This type of passion is commonly seen within Latino households and is sure to motivate them to “risk everything,” including possibly purchasing brand new NIKE soccer apparel.
Although all five of these campaigns are extremely appealing to soccer fans and Latinos, the NIKE Risk Everything campaign would have to take the title of being the most attractive one from this group. NIKE injects so much energy and enthusiasm into their campaigns and products that their fans seem to always be satisfied and never disappointed. Latinos are consumers who are careful and very selective about the products they purchase and ultimately are investing in. But when it comes to soccer and Latinos, it doesn’t get any better than NIKE. The 2014 World Cup advertising campaigns have just begun, and with less than two months before the start of the 2014 World Cup, we’re excited to see what other big-named brands bring to the playing field.
Roberto Valdez is a Project Assistant for Latinovations, part of the Dewey Square Group. Roberto is also Head Writer of the daily blog, La Plaza.
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