For many brands, flashy packaging is no longer enough, so it is increasingly common for their teams to recruit influencers, celebrities and characters from movies, cartoons and others to strengthen their presence with consumers.
Celebrities and influencers are the newest in this relationship and it is now increasingly common for independent content generators to review and recommend all kinds of experiences and products, from restaurants to makeup brands, on their social networks.
In 2021, 14% of brands used influencers with more than five million followers on social networks, for their advertising strategies, and the remaining 86% did so in the hands of micro-influencers, who have between 5,000 and 100,000 followers, from according to the global influencer marketing platform Linqia.
“An influencer can put a brand in a good position and help it achieve greater visibility. On the other hand, when the association is not managed well, it can generate a negative impression of a brand, ”says Linqia’s analysis.
There are also other companies that run their marketing campaigns with celebrities, from athletes to prominent figures in the cinema, and they have achieved positive results. An example is that of Tecate beer, which with ‘Somos box’ had a successful campaign with Sylvester Stallone, which marked the brand’s entry into boxing sponsorships. This year he presented ‘The Guardian of Flavor’, starring Bruce Willis.
“Having celebrities in a campaign is always very striking, but success also depends on the story you want to tell and the role that the celebrity plays in building the brand. At Tecate, what we try to do is balance the brand, celebrity and history, so that it has a relevant impact for consumers ”, says Diana Lozada, Tecate’s brand manager.
The directive comments that this strategy helps Tecate position itself in the consumer’s mind so that when they arrive at a point of sale, with the brand in mind, it is more likely that their purchase choice will be that.
For now, Tecate remains among the outstanding Mexican beers. This year, the brand was placed at number 11 in the ranking of the 50 most valuable brands in Mexico, published by Brand Finance. In 2020 it was ranked 12th, where it had been since 2017.
“These strategies are an opportunity for brands to have the possibility of connecting with many audiences, which will not connect naturally and has a certain customization because it is aimed at a specific target,” says Pedro Beltrán Cuervo, specialist at the Mexican School of Architecture. , Design and Communication from La Salle University.
What about licenses?
Another of the actions that companies use to win over buyers is the purchase of licenses. It is very common for mass consumption brands to add promotions or launch limited edition products on the market when they acquire the permits to use the characters of a premiere movie or those of prominent franchises, such as Disney, for example.
One of the most recent alliances is that of Panama, which presented five tennis models together with the toy brand Distroller. The latter has about 30 licensing partners. Bárbara Acevedo, Director of Licensing at Distroller, comments that to choose licenses and alliances they rely on companies that provide experiences to buyers.
The company has made alliances with Bershka, from the Inditex Group, and with Aeropostal, as well as others such as Grisi through which they market a shampoo. Distroller also appears in Unilever’s Holland ice cream.
“Licenses allow us to enter different segments and with different price ranges. Distrioller’s business is divided like this: 50% of its own products and the other 50% with other categories in the rest of the market “, he points out.
Miniso has also managed to differentiate itself from other mini-retail stores due to licenses. In addition to its competitive prices and an attractive slogan, the store offers among its products some with the images of the Pink Panther, Hello Kitty or the Avengers. There are other brands that take advantage of the licenses to launch some promotional items, such as collectible figures. Miniso was not available to discuss the matter.
“Licenses allow brands to differentiate themselves from their competition. They are very popular with consumers, children and adults, who have a relationship with the characters and are usually a win-win association because a brand can appropriate values that it does not have and that are convenient for it, while giving the consumer the opportunity to identify themselves with a brand that I would not have tried otherwise ”, says Pedro Beltrán.
