Sponsor Highlights from the 2010 Mexican National Team US Tour
I produced this video for the 2010 Federacion Mexicana de Futbol Sponsor Summit. It highlights the ways in which our sponsors leveraged the FMF’s marks, used their on-site activation rights and access to player endorsements throughout the Mexican National Team’s (MNT) 2010 US Tour.
A couple of highlights from the video:
- Andres Guardado answers questions from fans on Facebook as part of Degree Men’s ”Siempre Enfrenta El Reto” campaign (shout out to the GroupM team)
- Israel Castro is interviewed as part of AT&T’s “Mision Sudafrica” online video series (shout out to The Marketing Arm and the AT&T team)
- “The Matador” Luis Hernandez participates in a community build project for The Home Depot (props to the Octagon team in Atlanta)
- The “Futbol Fiesta” section… the name says enough
Our partners did a great job of using the Mexican National Team to drive their business interest in 2010. In 2011, it will be all about extending the length of conversation with the consumer. The CONCACAF Gold Cup and compelling matchups for the MNT’s 2011 US Tour (???) will ensure there is sufficient interest in the team in a non World Cup year.
To expand their sponsorship beyond several one-off events, sponsors should look do the following:
- establish a strong presence on Univision during its MNT broadcasts and shoulder programming
- create compelling original content to be shared on social networks focusing on the MNT
- work with local distributors to establish a strong presence at retail in the weeks and months leading up to the matches (player appearances and sweepstakes)
I hope you enjoy the video, and would love to hear your feedback.
Special thanks Ixzchel Salgado whose keen eye was extremely valuable in the making of this video, and Carlos Rodriguez, the magician who edited this video.
A Stateside Action Plan for Liverpool
New England Sports Ventures can generate substantial revenue from Liverpool in the United States by:
1) hosting an annual or biennial American tour
2) syndicating Liverpool matches to regional sports networks (RSN)
The American public has demonstrated a substantial interest in international soccer matches. This past summer alone, Manchester United averaged 55,790 for three matches in the US, Real Madrid averaged 68,236 in two matches and the Barclay’s New York Challenge averaged 19,042 over three match dates; total attendance for these 8 matches, 360,968. To put this number into perspective, the Oakland Raiders drew 354,276 for their eight home games in 2009.
It could be argued that these attendance numbers were the manifestation of interest from this year’s World Cup, and are not sustainable in long-term; however, the CAA run World Football Challenge of 2009 drew 336,813 fans over six matches, and two FC Barcelona matches drew 159,967. The combined attendance of 496,780 for these two tours was more than six NFL clubs in 2009. The substantial gate receipts generated from these international friendlies has been adversely affected by fees imposed by the United States Soccer Federation.
Currently, the USSF taxes match promoters 5.25-15% for matches held on US soil featuring international teams. If we assume that a match selling 60,000 tickets generates somewhere in the neighborhood of $2.7 million in gross ticket sales (based on an average ticket price of $45), the USSF’s tax can serve as a significant deterrent to those considering the feasibility of promoting international matches. The probable repeal of USSF’s sanctioning fee will increase the viability of these tournaments.
Moreover, MLB stadiums could be the preferred venues for a Liverpool tour. Matches delivered to municipally owned stadiums could serve to enhance the political leverage of New England Sports Ventures with its fellow owners. Furthermore, market selection could be a driving force to forge partnerships with team owned RSNs.
In last week’s SportsBusiness Journal, Ted Leonsis made the argument that more and more clubs will be looking to launch their own RSN. He pointed out that in the coming years broadband and mobile distribution rights will become increasingly important. Thus, the question arises, how will these networks fill the vast amount of programming requirements for a multiple platform presence? The YES Network may have given an indication where RSNs will look to acquire programming.
The YES Network recently agreed to terms with Arsenal to broadcast their EPL, FA Cup and UEFA Cup matches in HD. John Filippelli, President, production and programming for the YES Network had this to say about the agreement:
“This Arsenal package provides additional depth to our already diverse, Emmy Award-winning lineup. It not only makes our programming more attractive to those living in our traditional regional viewing area, but it also enhances the value of our YES national feed available throughout the country. Those tuning in to our YES national feed will benefit from these Arsenal programs airing in HD throughout our schedule, including when our Yankees and Nets game telecasts are blacked out.”
New England Sports Ventures would first utilize Liverpool rights to increase its subscription fees with New England based MSO’s, and then build the business case for Liverpool being a valuable asset for RSNs outside of the Northeast.
New England Sports Ventures has demonstrated innovation and efficiency in every endeavor it has embarked upon; I eagerly await their stateside plans for Liverpool.
A Vision for Univision
Hispanic male consumers age 18-49 - A targeted demographic for marketers, and an emerging consumer base for properties. The interests of both intersect with Univision.
Univision has positioned itself as the preeminent network for Spanish language sports. The large audiences which the network attracted for its World Cup broadcasts thrust the network into the forefront of sports media stories throughout the summer; however, its acquisition of the United States broadcast rights to Mexican National Team matches leading up to the 2014 World Cup may have been the network’s most significant achievement of 2010.
The Mexico vs. Ecuador match on September 4th attracted 2.7 million viewers, helping the network become the most viewed channel amongst 18-49 year-olds for the week. This was the first time a Spanish language network had beat out its English counterparts in this significant demographic. The match broadcast may have not been the primary reason for the network winning the ratings battle; however, the ratings bump which the network received on a Saturday night was of critical importance. Furthermore, Univision’s exclusive rights to MNT matches enables the channel to drive its business interests with multi-platform content.
Prior to the Ecuador match, Univision announced a partnership with AT&T to deliver MNT matches to AT&T Mobile TV subscribers. This deal was made possible due to AT&T’s existing relationship with the MNT through Soccer United Marketing, and Univision’s broadcast agreement with the MNT, highlighting the complexity of the digital sports landscape. Additionally, the AT&T deal is a manifestation of the adept leadership at the network.
Univision was able to secure the Mobile TV rights in addition to its broadcast rights. Mobile TV rights have been the providence of governing bodies in the United States. The network’s ability to procure these rights from the FMF was not only a coup for the network’s bottom line, but I believe its reputation amongst the three major sports leagues in the United States. Univision’s partnership with the NFL to launch NFL.com/espanol demonstrates the increasing importance the network will have on the future domestic growth of the NFL, NBA and MLB.
Whether you are considered to be a general market property (NFL) or a Hispanic focused property (MNT/MLS), Univision’s hegemony of the Spanish-speaking audience in the United States is a necessity. The networks youthful audience (55.2% 18-49 compared to CBS’ 31.5%) is in concert with the Hispanic population’s demographic (49.5% between 18-49 compared to the non-Hispanics 44.8%), providing properties a forum to generate sustainable domestic growth.
We continue to wait for Versus to evolve into a legitimate challenger to ESPN’s crown – which may very well happen if Congress ever approves the Comcast / NBC Universal merger – and continue to neglect an over-the-air network that delivers a premium audience to advertisers. Don’t keep the blinders on too long, because there’s a horse gaining ground down the stretch.
Like this:
Boost your image with Chivas de Guadalajara
10 days, 2 trips to PPL Park. My first trip was with Soccer United Marketing (SUM) for the Union’s match against Chivas de Guadalajara (9/1), and the second was with Fox Soccer Channel for the Union’s match against the Chicago Fire (9/11). While I was fulfilling different roles – marketing operations and broadcast production - my trips to Philadelphia enabled me to asses SUM’s partners activation practices from multiple vantage points. While I was impressed with many of our partners on-site presence, I was most impressed with Boost Mobile’s activation of its Chivas sponsorship (disclaimer: I work for SUM’s partnership marketing department but not on the Boost account).
Boost’s launched its sponsorship of the 2010 Chivas Tour with an in-store autograph session with Chivas legend Missael Espinoza. The event was promoted on a Spanish language radio station in Philadelphia, and the radio station was on-site for a remote broadcast. Furthermore, Boost built a cause marketing initiative into Missael’s appearance. The brand donated a $1,000 dollars to a local organization which enhances the educational opportunities of children from low-income families. The in-store event was a modest success; however, the brand was able to maximize its on-site activation at PPL Park.
Boost had three distinct activation areas at SUM’s pre-game event zone ”Futbol Fiesta”. The first was a lounge area where fans were able to escape the interminable Philadelphia heat and relax on sofas provided by the brand. The second was a miniature soccer field where attendees were encouraged to participate in a juggling contest, and the third was a skills area were fans were challenged to demonstrate their accuracy on penalty kicks. In the middle of the three areas, Missael was on-hand to sign autographs for the more than 5,000 visitors to Futbol Fiesta. The success of Boost’s on-site activation was attributable to the brand’s ability to speak to its consumer, and the Chivas consumer at the same time.
The brand fit between the Chivas property and Boost enables the partnership to ‘boost’ the profile of both the property and brand. Boost is known for its ability to speak young minorities, first with the comical “Where you at” advertising campaign, and then with its partnerships with hip-hop artists Game, Ludacris, Kanye West, Fat Joe and Young Jeezy. The Chivas fan base is a predominantly young-male, Mexican immigrants. An obvious target of Boost Mobile, which defines itself as the phone company which does not require its customers to sign contracts.
Boost’s partnership with SUM and the Chivas property enables the brand to speak to an audience familiar with its message, and engineer substantial brand equity with these potential consumers. Translating the brand equity into receipts at the register will be contingent on more variables than its Chivas sponsorship, but the sponsorship allows Boost to place itself within a community which is of significant interest to the company. We will have to wait and see the results.
A Marketing Solution Offered by Tottenham
Did the EPL club Tottenham Hotspur revolutionize European soccer sponsorship? I will argue in favor of this proposition. Furthermore, I will contend that the Spurs decision to separate its kit sponsorship into league and cup components - while a strategically sound business decision on their part - demonstrates the ability of clubs to create customized solutions for current and future business partners.
When Tottenham signed Investec to a two-year, £5 million jersey sponsorship agreement for cup competitions, the club increased its jersey sponsorship by 25%. An achievement which validated the team’s decision to pursue multiple jersey sponsors, but did not help the club surpass Chelsea in terms of jersey sponsorship revenue. However, I believe we can all agree that in terms of prestige, the North London club is a notch below their counterparts in the West. Therefore, the 10% gap in jersey sponsorship is more of an affront to Chelsea than the Spurs. Moreover, the Spurs decision to pursue two-year contracts should not be discounted. I believe it is indicative of the club’s long-term business interests.
The Spurs have held informal talks with London’s, Olympic Park Legacy Company about making a bid for Stratford Stadium following the 2012 Olympics. The club’s marketability would increase exponentially with a move to Stratford Stadium. Upon moving to Stratford Stadium, the team could continue having multiple jersey sponsors, tie their stadium naming rights to a jersey sponsorship (unlikely because of the cautionary tale which is Arsenal’s deal with Emirates Airlines), or have a primary jersey sponsor and a separate stadium naming rights partner. The course of action which the Spurs choose to embark upon will determine if the club can develop a brand with assets which are beneficial to its partners.
A sponsorship’s effectiveness is measured in a brand’s ability utilize a property’s image and trademarks to drive its business objectives. Thus, we must examine the business objective of Autonomy (league play) and Investec (cup play).
Autonomy, with a market cap of $6 billion, has the resources to spend to spend an extra £2.5 million to procure the rights for cup play. Their decision to only secure the rights for league play must be driven by a company focus.
Autonomy is a b2b software infrastructure company. Consequently, hospitality packages are an important component of any sponsorship which they enter, and the Spurs’ North London location appealed to their interest. Moreover, EPL matches which are broadcasted in Asia during primetime, are more important to their business interests than Champions League matches; which reach a greater percentage of European countries – where the company’s strength is – but are broadcasted in the middle of the night in Asia. Conversely, the Champions League format coincides with the business interest of the Spurs’ cup partner.
Investec is an international specialist bank and asset manager based in South Africa, where the Spurs brand is strong due to a 2003 tour and win in a South African international tournament. Investec caters to a select client base, and focuses its interest on countries of Anglo-Saxon origin. Having a select clientele, hospitality was a major consideration in the firm’s sponsorship evaluation. Furthermore, an emphasis on cup play enables the company to expand its footprint in European markets.
The Spurs decision to have multiple jersey sponsors is indicative of a growing trend amongst professional sports franchises to offer specialized marketing solutions to their partners. It is incumbent upon sports properties to demonstrate that they understand the business objectives of their partners. The properties that place their partners objectives at the forefront of a sponsorship will have the most success in this decade.
Major League Soccer Fan Demographics
It’s almost over! My paper “MLS Sponsorship: Activating to Increase Brand Equity” is close to being complete, and I will be a graduate of the University of San Francisco’s, Sport Management Graduate Program, on Wednesday.
I wanted to share with you the results section of my paper. It is a little dry, but if you are interested in Major League Soccer, or interested in possible sponsorship opportunities, it may be of benefit to you. Incase you have not read my post, “Can VW sell more cars because of its MLS Sponsorship?” survey participants were recruited from the Facebook pages of five MLS teams.
If you have any questions about my results, please do not hesitate to ask. I welcome any inquiries about my work.
In all, 231 questionnaires were collected. Due to incomplete responses, 29 of the questionnaires had to be discarded. The margin of error for survey results is 7%.
Los Angeles Galaxy fans accounted for 27.2% of survey respondents. The remaining fan bases and their corresponding percentages were: Real Salt Lake (20.8%), Houston Dynamo (17.3%), New York Red Bulls (14.9%), Seattle Sounders FC (13.9%), and other (5.9%). 63.4% of Survey respondents ranked their MLS team as their favorite professional sports franchise, and another 17.8% ranked it as their second favorite.
An overwhelmingly majority (77.7%) of survey respondents were male. Notable, when compared to Facebook statistics that show 56% of Facebook users are female (Inside Facebook, 2010). Caucasian (65.0%) was the ethnicity most cited by respondents. Over three-quarters (77.7%) of survey respondents were 37 years of age or younger, only 63% of Facebook users are 35 years of age or younger. The age brackets and their corresponding percentages are shown in the graph below.
Survey participants were highly educated, 48.3% reported having a Bachelor’s Degree or higher. Education levels and their corresponding percentages were: high school (33.8%), Bachelor’s Degree (31.8%), graduate degree (16.5%), trade school (4.0%), and Associate’s Degree (13.9%).
A majority of survey respondents (60.9%) reported having attended ten or more matches in their lifetime, an additional 15.8% have attended between 4-9 matches. Moreover, 82.7% of survey respondents attended a MLS match in 2009, with 56.9% of survey respondents attending five or more matches. Their past experiences are indicative of future consumption habits, 81.2% responded that they will “definitely attend a MLS match in 2010”. Additionally, respondents were active followers of their MLS team on the Internet; 86.6% of respondents reported visiting their MLS team’s Web site within a week of taking the survey, with 69.4% of survey respondents visiting the team’s Web site within 24 hours of taking the survey. More survey respondents reported watching a Spanish language television channel – for more than ten minutes – in the past month (48.5%), than those that have never watched a Spanish language television channel (23.3%).
Hispanic was the second most identified ethnicity by survey respondents at 24.8%. The majority of Hispanic respondents (76%) were first-generation Americans, and the remaining 24% were immigrants. Respondents identifying their ancestry with Spain did not classify themselves as Hispanic, as did a few respondents of Caribbean, Central American, or Spanish-speaking South American decent. When all respondents from these regions were included in the Hispanic demographic, they accounted for 31.1% of survey respondents. The geographic identity of these respondents were concentrated in three regions: Central America (31.7%) Mexico (30.2%), and Spanish-speaking South America (23.8%).
Volkswagen had the highest fan-recognition level amongst MLS Official Sponsors, and was the only sponsor to be recognized by more than 50% of survey respondents. Budweiser was the only other sponsor to have a fan-recognition level which exceeded the uncertainty response. The chart below shows the official sponsor and its recognition rate from the survey.
| Fan Recognition Rate for MLS Official Sponsors | |||
| Volkswagen | 55.50% | ||
| Budweiser | 47.50% | ||
| Gatorade | 36.60% | ||
| AT&T | 33.70% | ||
| American Airlines | 26.20% | ||
| Visa | 25.20% | ||
| Degree Deodorant | 21.80% | ||
Survey respondents did not believe a MLS sponsorship would affect their consumption habits, 55.4% of survey respondents stated they are not more likely to regularly consume a product/service because it is a MLS sponsor – 43.1% stated they were more likely – and 58.9% stated that they are not more likely to refer a product/service to a family member or friend because it is a MLS sponsor (40.1% are more likely).
Hispanic Millennials: The Future of MLS
Major League Soccer’s future success is contingent upon its ability to market its game to first and second generation Hispanic-Americans.
The United States Census Bureau estimates there are 48 million Hispanics living in the United States, a number which is expected to increase to 73 million by 2030. I contend that this figure will be driven by an increase in American born Hispanics, opposed to immigration. Arizona may be considered a rogue state today, but we are a nation which is increasingly moving right of center. However politically untenable the situation may become, I believe the rate of illegal immigration will decrease in the coming decades. Thus, any increase in the Hispanic population of the United States will be attributable to an increase in birth rates; a development which my statistics suggest will serve MLS well.
I recently recruited 202 survey participants from the Facebook fan pages of five MLS teams, and Hispanics accounted for 25% of survey participants. I acknowledge the economic bias of my recruitment method; however, I contend the disparity between immigrants and first-generation survey participants is indeed indicative of a trend amongst MLS fans.
First-generation Americans accounted for 76% of Hispanic respondents, with immigrants accounting for the remaining 24%. The lack of second-generation Hispanic-Americans, indicates first-generation Hispanic-Americans of the Baby Boomer generation assimilated into American culture through football, basketball and baseball, and did not communicate a passion for soccer to their children. First-generation Hispanic-Americans from Generation X did not face the discrimination of their predecessors, and gravitated to soccer without the fear of being ostracized. This generation will produce a second-generation of Hispanic-Americans whom share a passion for soccer with their fathers. However, to maximize the potential of the Hispanic demographic, MLS must attract more Mexican-Americans to its games.
Mexican-Americans account for 68% of Hispanics in the United States, but only 30% of Hispanic survey respondents. It has been theorized that Mexican-Americans have been slow to adopt MLS because of the availability of Mexican First Division matches on Spanish language television in the United States. Mexican-Americans can continue to follow teams in their native country, unlike their Central and South American counterparts. Furthermore, the escalating rivalry amongst the national teams of Mexico and the United States, inhibits many Mexican immigrants from accepting any form of American soccer. Mexican immigrants’ indignation towards American soccer will not transcend generations.
MLS provides first-generation Hispanic-Americans the opportunity to define their American identity, without abandoning their cultural attachment to the sport of soccer. First-generation Hispanic-Americans from Generation X have proven that they will embrace MLS. Therefore, it stands to reason that first-generation Hispanic-Americans of the Millennial generation will continue to gravitate to the league. Their support, in conjunction with their second-generation counterparts, provides a reassuring confidence to MLS; the only professional sports league which is expanding domestically.
The King of Beer’s World Cup Strategy
You‘re the largest beer company in the world, and have the marketing rights to the world’s most popular event. What do you do? You activate on a scale not seen since Gen. George C. Marshall was the United States Army’s, Chief of Staff.
A-B InBev is launching multiple offensives for Budweiser’s 2010 FIFA World Cup sponsorship. They have effectively turned a 30 day tournament into a four-month global marketing blitz. Roger Goodell and the NFL could not have done any better.
A-B InBev Chief Marketing Officer Chris Burggraeve said the campaign is “about uniting beer drinkers around the world and celebrating the game of football.” To do so, the campaign includes grassroots, digital, and interactive components. A-B InBev will be activating in every hemisphere of the world.
Budweiser launched its marketing blitz in March: the soccer-style Budweiser United crest was unveiled, the six-on-six grassroots soccer tournament ”Budweiser Cup” began, and the Budweiser Man of the Match Sweepstakes was announced.
The Budweiser Cup is a 12-country tournament, and the finals will be played on July 1st in a FIFA World Cup stadium. The United States tournament is being played in 16 California cities, and is heavily marketed to Hispanics under the name ”La Copa Budweiser”. The tournament is supported with print, radio, out-of-home, and television advertisements. La Copa Budweiser enabled Budweiser to secure product displays in Hispanic supermarkets during the month of March. According to a Budweiser representative, the displays accounted for an additional 3,000 cases of Budweiser being sold in San Diego during the month of March. La Copa Budweiser also served as a cause marketing platform, the brand donated $16,000 to the Hispanic Scholarship Fund of California. Budweiser will maintain its display space in the Hispanic supermarkets through the duration of the World Cup (that’s an extra 12,000 cases of “Big Red” being sold to Hispanics in San Diego from March-July). The displays will promote the Budweiser Man of the Match after La Copa Budweiser.
Logos of Budweiser United, Hispanic Scholarship, and MLS on the backdrop.
Photo taken at the San Diego tournament, and no, I am not in the picture.
The Budweiser Man of the Match Sweepstakes is a soccer fan’s Make a Wish Foundation. Sweepstakes winners - 10 from the United States - receive an all-expenses paid trip to the World Cup, and the right to present the Budweiser Man of the Match award on the pitch following a World Cup match. The sweepstakes drove traffic to Budweiser’s Web site from March 1st - May 1st , and increased awareness of Budweiser’s FIFA sponsorship in the months leading up to the World Cup (especially at points-of-sale). Budweiser’s “March to May” marketing strategy is driving awareness of its sponsorship prior to the tournament. The increased awareness of its sponsorship will maximize the efficiency of the brand’s interactive World Cup initiatives.
Bud House is Jersey Shore meets Survivor, except the house mates fist pump to goals instead of DJ Pauly’s party mix. Bud House will have one house mate from each of the 32 countries participating in the World Cup, 16 males and 16 females. The house mates bunking accommodations will be based on World Cup matches e.g., house mates from the US, England, Slovenia, and Algeria will share a room. House mates will be kicked out as their team is eliminated, until the World Cup Final. Then, the two remaining house mates will attend the championship match, with the winner presenting the Budweiser Man of the Match award to the Finals MVP. Budweiser will upload 6-8 Bud House webisodes per day, and there are plans to stream live video from the house.
Bud House is a great idea. It is a format which Millennials (Budweiser’s target demo is males 21-35) are comfortable with, and the brevity (3-5 minutes) of the webisodes will appeal to them. Bud House’s success is contingent upon Budweiser’s ability to create captivating stories out of the house mates interactions. As much as I like Bud House, the true interactive/groundbreaking component of Budweiser’s marketing strategy is the Budweiser Man of the Match voting.
Fans will determine the Budweiser Man of the Match online. Think about that for a second… A FIFA award will be determined by the fans, via an online poll, and be presented by Budweiser consumers.
Budweiser Man of the Match voting is an example of a brand capitalizing on the dynamic way in which fans are consuming sports. Hundreds of millions of fans will have the opportunity to literally touch the Budweiser brand during World Cup action. Fans will be tweeting, posting, and looking up statistics during the matches (from laptops and smart phones), and now they will be interacting with the Budweiser brand. Furthermore, think if they incorporated Facebook Connect into the voting. How many more millions of consumers would its FIFA sponsorship reach if every time someone casted a vote it posted to their profile?
Now only if Budweiser would create a World Cup specific app, or partner with a supermarket chain on a Foursquare promotion during the World Cup.
Can VW sell more cars because of its MLS sponsorship?
Volkswagen was recognized as the Official Automotive Sponsor (OAS) of Major League Soccer by 55.0% of the 202 Major League Soccer fans I surveyed in the past month. To put that into perspective, GM is the OAS of MLB and the NFL. GM’s 2009 recognition levels for those two properties were 31.4% and 30.0%, respectively (SportsBusiness Journal, Feb. 15-21, 2010). Additionally, a SBJ and Turnkey Intelligence poll conducted the week prior to this year’s Super Bowl, revealed 30.7% of Avid NFL Fans could correctly identify GM as the leagues OAS (SportsBusiness Journal, Mar. 1-7, 2010). If I were to use a similar guideline to distinguish Avid MLS Fans – fans stating that their MLS team is their 1st or 2nd favorite professional sports team, and have attended 10 or more MLS matches in their life - Volkswagen would have a fan-recognition level of 61.4% (70/114). It would be difficult to postulate that a MLS sponsorship is more effective than a sponsorship with MLB, NFL or NBA; however, with the statistics from my survey, we can begin to examine the merits of a MLS sponsorship.
Here is a brief description of how I recruited survey participants:
202 Major League Soccer (MLS) fans were surveyed from March 10 – April 15th, 2010. Respondents were recruited via the Facebook Fan pages of the: Los Angeles Galaxy; Houston Dynamo; Major League Soccer; New York Red Bulls; Real Salt Lake; and Seattle Sounders FC. A small percentage of the 202 respondents were recruited through LinkedIn and Twitter.
Survey participants were active and engaged MLS fans: 69.3% had visited their MLS team’s Web site within 24 hours of taking the survey, 81.2% stated that they will definitely attend a MLS match in 2010, and 56.9% attended 5 or more matches during the 2009 season. Furthermore, the survey required respondents to take two deliberate actions to participate. First they had to become a Fan of a MLS team on FB, and then they had to click a link posted on the team’s FB Fan Page. These fans actions indicate they will be more responsive to a sponsor’s message, and more likely to change their purchase behavior because of a sponsorship. If a brand can establish a presence within MLS, its brand equity will increase because of the league’s status with the consumer.
VW, like every other MLS sponsor I studied, is leveraging its MLS sponsorship to increase its brand image with Hispanics. A noble and wise ambition. Hispanics/Latinos represented one-quarter (50/202) of survey respondents, and VW has an established presence in Latin America that has not translated into sales with Hispanic-Americans. However, VW’s recognition numbers decreased with Hispanics to 48% (every sponsor experienced a decrease in recognition with Hispanics). Not a large decrease – VW was the sponsor with the highest recognition rate amongst Hispanics - but one that can, and should be improved upon.
Hispanics were 41.3% more likely to “regularly consume/purchase a product if that product/service is an Official Sponsor of MLS” than White/Caucasians respondents (Whites/Caucasians represented 65% of survey participants). Granted, sponsorships are not as effective in changing consumer behavior for large purchases such as cars – due to the likely involvement of another party – but this is a significant result. If your goal is to change consumer behavior, you should target those who are willing/eager to embrace your brand. Furthermore, opportunities exist for brands to establish themselves with the next generation of Hispanic consumers.
76% of respondents identifying themselves as Hispanic/Latino had at least one parent born outside of the United States. The other 24% of Hispanic/Latino respondents were born outside of the United States. Their offspring will grow up rooting for a MLS team, opposed to a team in Mexico’s First Division or another foreign league. The next generation of Hispanic MLS soccer fans should be arriving shortly. 92% of Hispanic/Latino fans are under the age of 37, with 42% between the ages of 19-25 (note: this could be attributable to the survey being conducted on FB, but only 26% of Caucasian respondents were between the ages of 19-25).
VW might be selling a lot more Jettas in 2030… Heck, you might be seeing more Tigans, Routans and CCs at your kids AYSO games.
**** I am only using the SBJ numbers as a reference point. It would be irresponsible to make a correlation between their numbers and mine. Their methodology and respondents are too different.
