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Score! Argentina Meets China in the World Cup

On June 10, 2010, In arts & entertainment, lifestyle, by InvestBA
China Mundial

Chinese advertisers are banking on scantily-clad models draped in Argentine and Brazilian jerseys.

Much to the delight of fans here in Argentina and Uruguay, the 2010 World Cup begins its month-long run tomorrow in South Africa. Earlier this week, we looked at Argentine and U.S. brands spending millions on sponsorship deals and advertisements to create an emotional connection with fan bases whose loyalty knows no bounds. But what happens when you have 1.3 billion fans and you don’t qualify for the 32-team field? Well, according to People’s Daily, you should capitalize on two truisms in advertising: 1.) Sex sells, and 2.) Associate yourself with winners. Toward that end, Chinese networks, advertisers and websites are all featuring dozens of local models draped in jerseys of Argentina, Brazil and other tournament favorites. “First off the plane will be the ‘Soccer Super Babes’ group G3, who are being touted as the first Chinese dancers to perform at the opening ceremony of the World Cup,” writes the Daily adding one minor detail, “there does seem to be a certain amount of ongoing discussion about when they will actually perform.” While CCTV will broadcast all 64 games, other Chinese networks will go a different route. Model Zhai Ling will host a program on World Cup fashion. Ironically, the article notes, she became famous for not wearing clothes on the Internet. Not to be outdone in the soccer skin game, another Chinese website “released 32 pictures of babes representing the squads, dressed in just bikini bottoms and body paint.” So even if they won’t be fielding a team this year, it seems China is setting a new standard for World Cup exposure. (Full Story)

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Argentina Sponsors Pray for World Cup Miracle

On June 8, 2010, In arts & entertainment, foreign investment, us companies, by InvestBA
Argentina Futbol Miracle

With 7-1 odds of winning it all, Argentina's sponsors are hoping for a miracle in South Africa.

Being an Official Sponsor of the Argentine national team has its highs and lows. Just ask The Coca-Cola Company. The Atlanta-based soft drink maker’s corporate logos were visible everywhere at the Estadio Monumental that October night when Martin Palermo scored the miracle goal against Peru in the rain. A Shawshank moment and dream publicity to be sure. Thirty minutes later in the post-game press conference, head coach Diego Maradona sat at the dais—covered with strategically-placed Coke bottles—and cordially invited his media critics to give him oral pleasure. It’s that combination of on and off-the-field unpredictability that raises the stakes for the corporate sponsors going to battle alongside Argentina and the 31 other teams in South Africa. Wharton gives an excellent overview today titled, Why and How Brands Hope to Score at the FIFA World Cup. The hierarchy of World Cup sponsors is explained in detail as are the number of clothing companies vying for team sponsorships “to raise consumption and sales at an exponential rate.” As always, Argentina suits up with Adidas, while Nike is betting the farm on Brazil and eight other teams. Meanwhile U.S. advertisers will probably get more coverage than the U.S. team: Continental Airlines, McDonalds and Budweiser will collectively invest over US$60 million between now an 2014. In the end, Wharton says, those brands that are most successful are the ones that generate “an emotional connection between the sponsored team, the public and the brand.” For our money, it’s hard to top Argentina beer sponsor Quilmes. Talk about emotional bang for your peso. (YouTube Video)

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BA Agencies Give Global Brands Local Flavor

On May 21, 2010, In arts & entertainment, creative class, culture, lifestyle, us companies, by InvestBA
Pecsi Billboard in Buenos Aires

Have a Pecsi: BBDO Argentina tweaked the venerable brand to suit local market tongues and tastes.

The 1985 New Coke launch taught soft drink makers and marketers the risks inherent in tampering with the real thing. Amazing then, that PepsiCo green-lighted a Buenos Aires ad agency’s proposal last year to actually change the name of their world-famous brand. The idea? Like Nike and Levi’s, Pepsi is one of those U.S. brand names that often proves problematic for native Spanish speakers. In Argentina, the pronunciation usually sounds more like “Pecsi,” so the creative minds at BBDO Argentina reasoned, why not change the name to suit local tongues and tastes? The gamble paid off. The “Pecsi” campaign, which brought the brand closer to Argentine consumers, was just awarded the Grand Prize at the Wave Festival, the most competitive showcase of Latin American advertising creativity. Another top prize went to Argentina’s Del Campo Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi for their successful Chocolatometer campaign for Cadbury. The creative spots feature a chocolate meter mirroring female emotional reactions to romantic situations. While positive stimulation raises the chocolate bar repeatedly, a George Costanza-like gaffe on the part of the male ultimately leaves the Chocolatometer empty. The tagline: A Man Will Never Be As Good As A Whole Cadbury. Perhaps another sign of global ad spend recovery, AdAge says there were 40% more entries at this year’s Wave Festival which just wrapped up in Rio. (Full article)

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Ford, JWT Bring Drama & Trucks to the Masses

On March 19, 2010, In arts & entertainment, creative class, culture, us companies, visionaries, by InvestBA

Ford Y Yo: Ford & JWT tapped local talent and tales in launching the new Ranger.

Ranger Y Yo: Ford & JWT tapped local legends and creative talent in launching the new Ranger in BA.

Borges…Cortázar…Ranger? Lovers of Latin American literature know Argentina has a rich tradition of magic realism. The literary style which draws heavily upon fables and myths to highlight the magical in contemporary society exploded in the 1960’s and continues to inspire young writers today…often in places where you least expect it.  Take for example this story from AdAge of Ford’s new truck roll-out in Argentina. Yes, everyone agreed, the 2010 Ranger is a fine truck, but the new model didn’t really have head-turning upgrades over last year’s model. So Ford turned to its agency, JWT, who in turn created a campaign that solicited countryside fables from citizens in BA, narrowed the entries down from 1,000 to 3 and selected tree different playwrights to create original, 25-minute plays. Expensive? Yes. Time-consuming? Yes. A brilliant way to connect with your customers, broaden your base of potential buyers and bring cultural stimulation to the masses.? Yes, yes and yes. The traveling production, which played four different cities in BA province and drew large crowds hand-picked by local dealers, has been so popular that, according to Marketing Director Ricardo Flaminni “local mayors have contacted Ford and asked if the dramas can come to their towns, too.”  So how does the play end? The bottom line focus for Ford is ultimately regaining market share in Argentina’s competitive truck space, but the value of what they and JWT created and gave back to the masses can never be captured in a PowerPoint. Bravo!

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