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How P&G is Focusing on Cultural Inclusion in Soccer

MLS, Procter & Gamble announce multi-year partnership

Proctor and Gamble (P&G) is a leading manufacturer of consumer goods, primarily recognized for its products under the Gillette, Old Spice, Dawn, Crest, Oral-B, Charmin, and Bounty brand names. Since the 2010 Winter Olympics Games in Vancouver, P&G has sponsored the Olympics and Paralympics and will continue to do so until 2028. As a leading sponsor of professional athletic competitions, P&G is attempting to increase the recognition and awareness of professional athletes from minority groups and their subsequent success stories. These marketing tactics focus on reaching a broad audience that consists of diverse races, cultures, ethnicities, and regions by engaging in more strategic corporate partnerships and campaigns throughout various sporting organizations. 

As of April 2021, P&G announced its multi-year sponsorship with the Major League Soccer (MLS) organization to bring greater inclusion into the sport and attract multicultural fans to events. This strategic partnership will focus on partnering with the local communities and various youth programs to increase youth access to soccer for future collegiate levels. MLS benefits from P&G’s successful consumer engagement strategies to improve outreach programs and bring greater awareness to the organization. P&G will further promote their packaged consumer goods to underserved demographic regions, meanwhile also helping lower financial barriers to young aspiring soccer athletes. By broadening the MLS appeal scope, P&G will engage in purpose-driven marketing tactics around professional soccer advertisement campaigns linked to social causes. For instance, Secret deodorant, a P&G brand product, sponsors the US Women’s National Team, which led the equal pay movement for female athletes. 

Also, P&G announced their sponsorship of the Mexican National Team’s US soccer tour, which is part of their initiative to better connect with the Hispanic consumer market. Professional soccer is an important cultural component in many countries outside the US; therefore, P&G is looking to increase cultural awareness and expand its significance globally. Recent data have reported that the Hispanic community has shown an overall increase in purchasing power, which translates to more significant profitability margins for P&G. Overall, both parties will benefit from this alliance and will hopefully report successful results in the next coming years.

Sources: PRN, Marketing Dive, USA Today