Most major beer corporations know if they want to rule the market,
it’s about time they begin catering to Hispanic consumers. After all,
the buying power of Hispanics has reached $1.2 trillion, which in
2012, was larger than the entire economies of all but 13 countries in
the world, according to the UGA Selig Center Multicultural Economy
study.
So, employees in Miller’s Hispanic marketing department reached out
to Dean Schwartz, owner of Miami-based SOBO Concepts to create
authentic tangible campaign elements. Schwartz, who has worked in the
Latin American sector his entire career, also runs a popular Latino
fashion merchandise store. “They came to us and said that we seemed to
have our finger on the pulse of this Hispanic market, so they wanted our
help,” Schwartz says.
Miller
needed a design for a soccer jersey in honor of the World Cup, so
SOBO’s team of artists went to work. They created an Aztec-like emblem
for the front of the jersey and a playful name for the back: Ben Frias.
“We’re all about figuring out ways to relate to the target audience,”
says Schwartz. “One of the most important things is being relevant to
consumers.”
After the jersey was a success, Miller came back for more. This
time, they wanted a product that celebrated the Hispanics’ love for
wrestling. Since soccer is a large part of the Hispanic culture as
well, Miller planned to give the item out at soccer games in West Coast
cities with heavy Hispanic populations.
SOBO
created a “luchalibre” Mexican wrestling mask in the form of a
“chivas” to promote Miller’s sponsorship of the Chivas Guadalajara
soccer club, whose mascot is a goat.
Luchalibre, a term used
in Mexico for professional wrestling, is characterized by colorful
masks, so the product had to be authentic. “The key was understanding
the roles wrestling and soccer play in the community,” says Schwartz.
“They wanted to target males, ages 21-35, so we created a recognizable,
but creative product. In the Hispanic market, you can talk the talk,
but you also have to walk the walk when it comes to knowing what
consumers want.”
Miller also supports education in the Latino community, contributing
a portion of its Texas and Oklahoma sales to Adelante, a national
nonprofit organization committed to providing resources to Latinos
seeking to achieve a higher education.
For more creative promotional product ideas,
visit the Wilson Printing Promotional Products site!
