By FRED CISTERNA
McDonald’s recently broke a new Spanish-language commercial aimed at the U.S. Hispanic market. What makes the ad, "Anthem," interesting is that it is part of the fast food chain’s first branding effort intended to celebrate the cultural richness of Hispanic consumers. The commercial is part of the year-long "Points of Pride" campaign created by advertising agency del Rivero Messianu, Coral Gables, Fla. The ads are scheduled to air on the Telemundo and Univision networks.
Del Rivero Messianu has handled the fast food chain’s Hispanic advertising account since ’94, but "Points of Pride" sets a precedent for McDonald’s via the agency. Luis Mi- guel Messianu, chief creative officer at del Rivero Messianu, says the campaign-which will also include print and radio ads, a concert, television specials and talent contests-is a breakthrough. "DDB [Chicago] is the lead agency for McDonald’s and they do the general market commercials. Burrell [Communications Group, Chicago] does African-American. Leo Burnett [Co., Chicago] does youth, and we do Hispanic," says Messianu. "Most of the time, we all work supporting the different promotions and the different brand efforts. This is the first time there’s been a full-blown, Hispanic-specific [branding] campaign. This is the first time it’s separate from the other programs, and it’s a dedicated effort, which is very exciting.
"[McDonald’s] asked us, ‘What can we do to do a better job of showing our commitment to this consumer segment?,’" he continues. "The reality is that McDonald’s has been a very committed advertiser. They just wanted to take it to the next level. Our challenge was to go beyond the traditional programming we normally do. We looked at it as an opportunity to do a truly integrated campaign. It contains television commercials, but it’s much more than that. It’s an umbrella that’s going to house all the different Hispanic-specific activities throughout the year. It also includes the first Hispanic Web site for McDonald’s."
"Anthem," the initial spot in the year-long campaign, was directed by Claudia Alberdi of Film Planet, which has offices in Venice, Calif., So Paulo, Buenos Aires, Rome and Paris. The ad broke last month during Lo Maximo del Espiritu Latino (The Best of the Hispanic Spirit), an hour-long special that was telecast nationally on Telemundo.
"Anthem" contains several vignettes of Hispanic-Americans in various settings and situations. The black-and-white spot, which features frames of color scattered throughout, opens with an image of an ecstatic crowd at a soccer match cheering a goal. The ad blends images of everyday people with celebrities, including the singer Enrique Iglesias and boxer Oscar De La Hoya. At the end of the commercial, the color frames merge together to form the logo of McDonald’s Web site (www.LoMcXimo.com).
Endeavor Group Sells Professional Bull Riders, On Location and IMG To Parent of WWE and UFC
The parent company of WWE and UFC is buying Professional Bull Riders, On Location, and IMG from Endeavor Group in an all-stock deal valued at $3.25 billion.
The deal is part of Endeavor's efforts to shed some of its assets as it looks to be taken private in a proposed transaction with private equity firm Silver Lake, which was announced in April. Ariel Emanuel, who serves as CEO of Endeavor, is also executive chair and CEO of TKO.
Professional Bull Riders is a bull riding league that has more than 200 annual live events, approximately 1.25 million fans, and reaches more than 285 million households in more than 65 territories. On Location is live event company for more than 1,200 sporting events, such as the Super Bowl, Ryder Cup and NCAA Final Four. IMG is a distributor and producer of sports content, packages and sells media rights and brand partnerships, and provides consulting, digital services and event management to clients such as the National Football League and National Hockey League.
Parent company TKO Group said Thursday that the acquisition from Endeavor Group will complement its existing businesses as well as broaden its reach in the premium sports market.
"PBR, On Location, and IMG are industry-leading assets that meaningfully enhance TKO's portfolio and strengthen our position in premium sports globally," TKO Chief Operating Officer Mark Shapiro said in a statement. "Within TKO, they will help power the growth of our revenue streams and position us to capture even more upside from some of the most attractive parts of our sports ecosystem: media rights, live events, ticket sales, premium experiences, brand partnerships, and site fees."
As part of the deal, Endeavor will receive about 26.14 million common units of TKO... Read More