Portada spoke with Jay Mathews, Marketing Director, Degree Men, about the brand advertising plans and the documentary-style soccer show entitled Frente al Reto.
In mid-February the deodorant had launched a marketing initiative consisting in an eight-part series profiling eight of the top Mexican soccer players hoping to make it to the World Cup. The series will premiere in Latin America on ESPN Deportes next March 14. We spoke with Mathews on the specifics of this initiative and on marketing and advertising plans for this 2010.
Portada: Will the campaign have print extensions (ESPN Deportes La Revista)?
Jay Mathews: No. In addition to working with ESPN Deportes on pre-production, we will air five commercials during each episode as well as promote the partnership through radio. We will also have prominent visibility online at www.frentealreto.com, which is a micro site that was exclusively created for the series.
Portada: In what way do you think your first “Hispanic campaign” differs from other campaigns you have done in General Market?
Jay Mathews: Degree Men has been involved within the Hispanic market for some time but via more traditional campaigns. Last year, we raised the bar by creating a partnership with Soccer United Marketing (SUM) as the Official Antiperspirant/Deodorant of the Mexican National Team (MNT) and Major League Soccer (MLS). This partnership is part of the brand’s “Siempre Enfrenta El Reto” 360 campaign, which is soccer-focused and centered on the theme of facing challenges during high intensity, make or break moments.
For the General Market, we have also focused on soccer and in encouraging guys to rise to the challenge and use a deodorant that won't let them down when they need it most. However, the General Market campaign also touches other sports such as American football.
Portada: Are you afraid that the campaign will not resonate with the 30 percent of Hispanic who are not of Mexican origin?
Jay Mathews: Not at all. When we created the “Siempre Enfrenta el Reto” campaign we wanted to focus on a sport that would be culturally-relevant to Hispanic men and soccer is a sport that they are very passionate about. Further, our message of “Siempre Enfrenta el Reto” is one that any man can relate to.
Portada: Will a similar campaign be done for Mexico?
Jay Mathews: I can’t comment on that at the moment since our focus is currently on the U.S. Hispanic market.
Portada: Will this be an interesting “test” to advertise other Unilever brands into the U.S. Hispanic market, if so, which ones are the best candidates?
Jay Mathews: As I mentioned before, this partnership with ESPN Deportes is part of a bigger, multi-year campaign that Degree Men is doing to engage the U.S. Hispanic market. In addition to Degree Men, there are several other Unilever brands that have been very involved within the market. In fact, Unilever created a program called Vive Mejor, which is an interactive (online and magazine) platform where Hispanics can learn about our various brands and obtain helpful tips from our experts. This platform is supported by well-known Unilever brands, such as Dove, Suave, Caress, Knorr, Lipton, Ragu, Hellmann’s and more.
