Promo - June 2008 - (Page 14)

Richard Te desco EXPERIENTIAL Viva Béisbol State Farm mobile museum taps Latin-favored pastime When State Farm was considering a promotional strategy to reach Hispanic consumers, the home and car insurer settled on a core cultural interest for Americans and Latinos alike: baseball. Wave, the multicultural practice of agency The Marketing Arm, devised a traveling show, dubbed in Spanish as “Fiesta del Jonrón,” that is currently making stops at major Hispanic cultural festivals around the country. The 16-city tour celebrates the enduring contributions of Hispanic ballplayers with a mobile museum tribute. It includes displays of players’ uniforms and video footage of Latino stars ranging from Puerto Rico’s legendary Roberto Clemente of Pittsburgh Pirates fame to contemporary standouts such as Dominican slugger David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox. Along with the memorabilia, the exhibit offers visitors an interactive component, including a global map that identifies the home countries of favorite Hispanic ballplayers. Trivia games and famous home runs called in Spanish are part of the traveling show as well. The exhibit also features a simulated home run competition, modeled after State Farm’s sponsorship of the annual Home Run Derby that precedes Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game. The “Jonrón” tour takes its name from that annual competition, typically dominated by the best Hispanic home run hitters in the professional game today. A 65-foot Sharp monitor outside the exhibit will carry live MLB games. “They’re a leader in their category,” Michael Rodriguez, account leader of Wave, says of State Farm, “so we wanted to do something that was relevant and engaging.” Rodriguez says the idea is to use baseball as a “passion point” to generate good will and prospective State Farm clients by taking the “Jonrón” exhibit to events where thousands of Hispanics are in attendance celebrating a fiesta. “We created a fiesta within a fiesta,” Rodriguez says. Reaching Hispanic-Americans, who now comprise 15% of the U.S. population, is a coveted demographic for all businesses. “It’s definitely a growing priority for us,” says Todd Fisher, State Farm manager of national sponsorships. Former LA Dodgers third baseman Pedro Guerrero signed autographs for fans at the first stop of State Farm’s “Fiesta del Jonrón” in Los Angeles. He views the “Jonrón” tour as the opening innings of a gambit to score Hispanic consumers: “We look at it as part of a strategy that will be a focus for us for a long time to come.” In another promotion related to the Home Run Derby, State Farm is running a “Call Your Shot” sweepstakes, offering a fan a chance to predict where David Ortiz will hit the ball into the stands preceding the Home Run Derby. The fan who correctly predicts the spot will win a Chevrolet Tahoe and four tickets to the Home Run Derby and All-Star Game. State Farm views the “Jonrón” tour primarily as a “branding experience,” notes Bailee O’Brien, State Farm sponsorship coordinator, adding that it’s also a vehicle to collect leads. Visitors to the exhibit can answer a few questions about 14 June 2008 / WWW.PROMOMAGAZINE.COM / Promo http://WWW.PROMOMAGAZINE.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Promo - June 2008

Promo - June 2008 Contents Editor's Note 51st State? Brand Weaver Hip Candy Viva Beisbol Hola or Adios? Commentary Agency of the Year: Digitas The 2008 Promo 100 Draftfcb Next Marketing Oddcast All Terrain Gigunda The Agency Center Resource Center Take a Stand Index of Advertisers

Promo - June 2008

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