When U.S. Census data is released later this year, it will confirm what we've been hearing for years: Hispanics are growing faster than any other group.
Hispanics' buying power will reach $1.5 trillion by 2015, according to the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia, making them a hugely important audience for advertisers.
A good way to reach these Hispanics is through sponsorship of Mexico's Primera Division pro soccer league.
The games are all played in Mexico, but many of them are televised on U.S. broadcast and cable networks, making games an effective way to target Latinos in this country as well as south of the border.
To find out how to get your client’s message at Mexican Primera Division games, read on.
This is one in a Media Life series on buying out-of-home venues. They appear weekly.
Fast Facts
What
Sponsorship in Mexico's Primera Division soccer league.
Who
League-wide Primera Division sponsorships are handled by the Federation of Mexican Football, while individual clubs handle sponsorships on uniforms.
How it works
The Primera Division is Mexico's top-tier soccer league, made up of 18 clubs. The season is split into two halves during which the clubs play each other twice, once at home and once away.
After the two halves are complete, the top eight teams qualify for the Liguilla, or playoff-style knockout round that determines the league champion.
In the U.S., Primera Division games air on seven TV networks: Univision, Telemundo, Telefutura, Galavision, Azteca America, Fox Deportes and ESPN Deportes.
Advertising and sponsorship in the Primera Division works just like most every other soccer league in the world.
The primary inventory visible on TV is the signage that surrounds the playing field. This space is reserved for league-wide sponsors and sponsors of individual teams.
The other key piece of inventory is on the team uniforms. Most clubs have a main sponsor on the chest of the team jerseys, along with other sponsors represented on patches on jersey sleeves and backs.
Brands can also become official U.S. sponsors of Mexico's Primera Division. For example, last fall Coors Light became the league's official U.S. beer sponsor, which gives the beer company a presence on U.S. TV broadcasts and allows it to use Primera Division logos in its marketing.
Markets
Primera Division games are played in markets throughout Mexico, but they're televised across the U.S. on Spanish-language broadcast and cable networks.
Numbers
On Friday, Feb. 10, Fox Deportes averaged 132,000 U.S. Hispanic households and 162,000 Hispanics 18-49 for a Primera Division game, while Galavision averaged 84,000 households and 123,000 18-49s for a game the following night.
Those are fairly low numbers, but the new season is just underway. In December, Telemundo's coverage of the championship game between Monterrey and Santos Laguna averaged 2.36 million total U.S. viewers, including 1.27 million 18-49s.
Also, Scarborough Research says 658,000 U.S. Hispanics have watched or listened to a Primera Division match in the past 12 months, up 24 percent from 2008.
How it is measured
U.S. networks that air Mexican Primera Division games are used to calculate U.S. impressions.
What product categories do well
Frequent Primera Division sponsors include insurance, auto, beverages, beer, food, telecommunications, athletic apparel and financial services.
Demographics
Among adults who watched World Cup or international soccer in the past year, 70 percent are male and 30 percent female, according to Scarborough Research.
Sixteen percent are ages 18-24, 22 percent are 25-34, 24 percent are 35-44, 18 percent are 45-54, 11 percent are 55-64 and 9 percent are age 65 or over.
Thirty percent have an annual household income of $100,000 or more, with 17 percent between $75,000 and $100,000, 15 percent between $50,000 and $75,000, 17 percent between $35,000 and $50,000, 11 percent between $25,000 and $35,000 and 10 percent at $25,000 or less.
Making the buy
League-wide Primera Division sponsorships and individual club sponsorships are usually multi-year deals, meaning negotiations take place months or even years in advance.
Cost is in the six-figure to low-seven figure range, depending on the size and length of a deal, as well as the team or teams involved.
Who’s already in Mexico's Primera Division
Recent or current Primera Division sponsors include adidas, Banamec, Movistar, Coca-Cola, Coors Light, Corona. Autobuses de Oriente and Voit.
What they’re saying
“The popularity of sport and strong passion among Latinos provides the opportunity to have a strong presence during two tournaments, 10 months every year [and] 18 teams playing over 344 games. The Primera Division reunites Mexican consumers from all Mexican states and even other Latinos that love to follow one of the top leagues in the world." –
Rafael Traver, president of Traver Hispanic Marketing.
Web site info
Federation of Mexican Football
http://www.femexfut.org.mx
América
http://www.clubamerica.com.mx
Atlante
http://www.atlantefc.com.mx
Atlas
http://www.atlas.com.mx
Tecos
http://www.tecos.com.mx
San Luis
http://www.sanluisfutbol.com.mx
Cruz Azul
http://www.cruz-azul.com.mx
Chivas Guadalajara
http://www.chivasdecorazon.com.mx
Jaguares
http://www.jaguaresdechiapas.com.mx
Monarcas Morelia
http://www.fuerzamonarca.com
Necaxa
www.necaxafutbol.com
Pachuca
http://www.tuzos.com.mx
Puebla
http://www.pueblafutbolclub.com.mx
Querétaro
http://www.clubqueretaro.com
Monterrey
http://www.rayados.com
Santos Laguna
http://www.clubsantoslaguna.com.mx
Tigres
http://www.tigres.com.mx
Toluca
http://www.deportivotolucafc.com
UNAM
http://www.clubpumasunam.com
